choosing recommenders

[vautrin]

sorry to add yet another post of this sort...

basically, I am hoping to apply this fall for a Ph.D. program in sociology but I'm a little unsure who to ask to recommend me, especially since my undergraduate school didn't offer sociology and because of that I haven't taken any courses in the field. In undergrad I majored in History, English and German and have someone from each of those fields who I feel quite confident will write me strong LORs (in each case I did research with them, have some kind of relationship to them, took several of their classes, and all specifically wrote to me after the semester to commend me on the level of my work or to suggest I consider publishing my work, some nominated me for scholarships, etc.).

So I feel good about the LORs I can ask these professors for... but I am assuming it might be better to have someone with a sociology background recommend me? the problem is I only really have one option: In my senior year I studied abroad at an institution with a sociology program and took one sociology field-research-based course while I was there. I did fine in the course but didn't particularly excel or feel like I made a strong impression (my partner spent most of the semester in the hospital so I didn't have as much energy to invest in academics). I will be working with this same professor again this summer as an intern, but I still feel like the letter I would get from her wouldn't be as strong as the first three. Should I ask her for one anyway? Her research interests are definitely much closer to mine than any of the other professors I would be asking but I just don't feel like I have a strong bond with her.

EDIT: one additional thing. After my undergrad I will be studying in Berlin for a year with a DAAD scholarship and starting an M.A. program there, but since the semester is really different there (it doesn't begin until late October and continues until February) I don't feel very confident that I'll be able to find someone I would feel comfortable asking for a LOR within the first couple of weeks I'll be there before my applications are due. Will it look strange if I don't have any LORs from professors there?

Edited April 15, 2012 by vautrin