Which is more important: faculty status or educational history?

[thenerdypengwin]

When choosing professors to write a recommendation for you, it should be as well written as possible (the professor should know and like you as much as possible), and he or she should have a good job title.

Grad students mean nothing. Freshly appointed PhDs are weak. Assistant professors are a bit better, then associate professor, then full professors. Distinguished professors are rare, and i think MD, PhDs are a good bet too.

Which is better though, a full professor who graduated and got their PhD from a moderately respectable university, or

an associate professor who went to Ivy League schools for his/her undergrad & PhD.

Discuss.

[fuzzylogician]

Which is better though, a full professor who graduated and got their PhD from a moderately respectable university, or an associate professor who went to Ivy League schools for his/her undergrad & PhD.

Discuss.

The professor who knows you better.

[TakeruK]

I also agree that the only factor worth worrying about is how well can the LOR writer speak to your strengths and experiences. This means you want someone that knows you well and someone who you have done good work for.

I guess the only reason you should be worrying about anything else is the case where you have to pick a LOR from someone who you didn't get to do research with (if you have more than 3 profs whom you've done great work for, then use them all). So, to answer your theoretical question about which prof to pick, assuming they know you and your work equally well, it's probably better to pick the prof that is better known to the department you're applying. The school that the prof did their PhD is pretty much worthless, just like your BSc school isn't going to be a factor after your PhD, the PhD school isn't going to be a factor after you already have a tenured position (since you've probably done way more research and evolved your career well beyond your PhD work).

However, the practical answer to your question is probably it doesn't matter much between the two profs you mentioned if you haven't done good work for them. In theory there is probably one choice that is optimal but the difference is small enough to not worry too much about it -- there's already enough stress in the application process!!