Community College LOR

[mr.potato]

Is it a good idea to get letters of recs from a community college for a MA program in anthro?

I finished undergrad a year ago but long story short, the professors at my school that I was going to ask, an anthro and an econ professor (I doubled in econ&anthro), both retired and didn't leave any contact info. I doubt the other professors remember my face (the bulk of my major classes were with those two professors) so I wouldn't feel right asking them. My adviser is not at the school anymore so I can't ask him for help either. I figure my best option now is to take some classes at a cc in the fall (no anthro classes offered in the summer) and asking the professors there.

I wanted to apply to some big name programs but to save some money and to continue helping at the family restaurant, I'm probably only going to apply to the cal states in the general LA area so the requirements aren't too steep. I'm aiming for the 2014/2015 school year, though I might be able to make it to the May deadline for 2013/2014, so I should have plenty of time to get things in order . I'm still nervous that cc lor won't be enough. Anyone have experience with this?

[emmm]

If you have no other options ... I had 2/3 CC LORs for my applications, but it had been MUCH longer since I'd been an undergrad (~2 decades). One interviewer did say it was a problem (I was not accepted there). On the other hand, I did get accepted, so it is not impossible to do with CC LORs.

[TheFez]

Agreed. Better than nothing - but not ideal. Especially if these are not "strong" letters.

[abdefghijkl]

Lots of students overcome this by cultivating new letter writers, and this is what you are doing. So, the new people you've got at the community college - make an effort - don't be fake! - but make an effort to get to know them and help them get to know you. Visit their office hours to ask them about their own research or training or about some topic they talked about in the course that is relevant to something you are interested in. While you are doing this, find a way to tell your own story and convey a sense of who you worked with in the past and what your plans are. AFTER you have established that they know your name and have enjoyed talking to you, THEN near the end or after you've finished a course with them, approach them for letters. Start by saying how much you enjoyed the course you took with them and then saying "Actually, I'm in a bit of a bind. Could you help me out? I took a break from school to help out with the family business but now I want to break out on my own and I need letters of recommendation for grad program XYZ. Would you be able to write me a strong letter?" - Students have used that tactic and script on me, and it works every time because I do know them and find them interesting. Also, the "I'm in a bind - can you help me out?" line is hard to say no to. Also, get GREAT grades in those particular classes so they will want to help you out...

Edited June 19, 2012 by Prof. Susan

[emmm]

That is the way to do it, but you should still be prepared that some people at 4-year schools will have a snooty attitude about CCs. I've run into it on more than one occasion, and it's generally pretty amusing to me, since the CC in question has some excellent offerings and faculty members and I had a fantastic experience there. Still, having letters from those amazing professors probably did have a negative effect on some of my applications. But I probably wouldn't have been happy in a place that hung up on itself anyway.