dudebroIII Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 say many years ago as an undergrad you took a class like Math 55 at Harvard or the equivalent at MIT/etc. ie. something with a really strong reputation. for those not familiar: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/12/6/burden-of-proof-at-1002-am/ now, the well-known prof has agreed to write a rec, but as it states in the article, you were among the 10 who didn't understand the course. so he says the rec would not be that strong. a strong rec from this prof would probably guarantee admission ... my dilemma is whether a weak rec is worth anything. this is for an MS in Stats program, and my other options for recommendations are very limited. any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safferz Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Always go for the strongest letter possible from a professor that knows you and your work well. A weak letter is often the kiss of death for an application, famous rec or not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyberwulf Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 (edited) Yep, 100% agree with Safferz. In general, I think prospective students *way* overestimate the importance of having someone "famous" write them a letter. Sure, it's nicer to have a great letter from a well-known prof than an unknown one, but if there will be a significant difference in the enthusiasm of the letter, you should go with the stronger letter regardless of the reputation of the letter writer. Edited December 20, 2011 by cyberwulf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmm Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I'd think a crummy recommendation from a well-known prof would hurt even more than one from an unknown prof. WHY would you ever want this kind of recommendation? anthropy and rising_star 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudebroIII Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 well unfortunately i have no options to get a strong rec from a professor who knows me well. i've been out of school some time and did not maintain contact, nor did i have great relationships with professors in school. given this info and assuming this is my only option to get a rec from a professor, does this change anything? my other options will be former colleagues who will definitely write enthusiastically, but they are non academics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmm Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 It is worrisome if your only academic reference is lukewarm at best. And by colleagues, I hope you mean supervisors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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