LoR Question

[Wander]

Hi Everyone,

 

    I am going to be applying next application cycle, and had a question about Letters of Recommendation. I have four professors that I'm considering, but since most places only take 3, I need to narrow it down.

 

Prof A: Knows me personally, knows my research, all in all great LoR

Prof B: Knows my work on the less relevant paper, and has collaborated with Prof A, but has worked with me less and knows me less well personally

Prof C: Knows me personally, known me for 4 years, able to speak to my character and has worked with me quite a lot (although primarily EWB with supplementary research)

Prof D: Knows me personally and has offered to write a glowing LoR without yet being asked, but has less experience working with me on research projects.

 

Relevant info: I have one published paper that is relevant to what I would like to study and one submitted that is less relevant. Authors on the papers go as follows

 

More relevant paper (published): Myself, Prof A, others

Less relevant paper (submitted): Myself, Prof B, Prof A

 

My question is, which profs should I focus on for getting my LoR from (setting aside for a moment the instances in which it depends on the school to which I'm applying). I appreciate the input!

 

Good luck to you all in the coming weeks!

[Usmivka]

I might try posting this in the "Applications > Letters of recommendation" subforum, but I'm sure people will respond here too.

 

Let's start with what the goal is:

Between your three letters of rec, you need to have your research ability, academic potential, outreach activities/broader impacts, and what you are like to work with, the first and last being the most important.

 

A is a shoe-in because s/he can cover at least two of those bases. Similarly I'd say C is desirable, because s/he has known you long enough to also be able to cover  most of those four categories to some degree.

 

So really what you are asking is "Do I pick Prof B or D?" and the answer depends on which of them can speak strongly to one of the areas where A or C can't or has only general knowledge. So is one of them a former instructor that you've had classes with? Is one of them involved in an organization you do outreach with? The trouble with each as you've presented them is that B doesn't really know you or have any interaction outside of a paper that your stronger recommender (A) was also involved on and can already talk about, and D (at least with the limited info you've given) doesn't necessarily speak to any of the above categories.

 

When selecting references, I passed up on a letter from someone who sounds like D for some of my applications because he couldn't talk about research or academics, but selected him for others because he could speak to outreach and long familiarity--it was a judgement call for what was more important in each setting, whether a particular school or fellowship apps. But for the applications that were really focused entirely on research potential (eg NDSEG fellowship) I went with someone more like B. I'd say D would be a better choice for most applications if s/he can  cover any of those non-research bases. Hold B in reserve just for applications where research is the be all and end all. Also, not all applications will be limited to three, most just require "at least three," so you could still ask for letters from B if he has anything novel to say that won't already be covered by A.

 

PS: remember you can ask your recommenders to focus on specific topics, so even if one could speak to everything, they could spend the bulk of their time on 2 of the main bases (then each pf the four above would be a focus in at least two letters). The ensemble can be stronger than if everyone goes over everything with diluted emphasis.

Edited January 27, 2013 by Usmivka

[St Andrews Lynx]

I'd say it would be a close call. You're also lucky to have 4 potential LoR (I know it was a challenge for me to find a suitable 3rd!) Perhaps pick the professors with the best standing in their field(s) if you're stuck. A full professor's LoR might carry slightly more weight than an associate professor's if the Admissions Committee don't know either individual closely. Or take the professor who has more connections (through conferences, invited talks, collaborations) and is therefore whom somebody on an AdCom is most likely to know personally. 

 

Tailoring is incredibly useful and probably necessary for all institutions. Academia is a village, after all. Tell your referees which institutions you're applying to, asking if they have good connections to any faculty there. Make sure those with the closest connections are the ones writing LoRs for those places. Use and abuse their network and influence to your advantage. 

 

If you feel that Prof B doesn't know you that well personally, then perhaps meet with them in person to talk about your grad school plans and motivation for postgrad study. And-or send them your most recent CV and a copy of your Statement for guidance when writing the LoR.

 

Good luck!

[Queen of Kale]

I had 5 people write my letters of recommendation but only submitted the required 3 per school.  So, I reduced the load slightly for each recommender, chose the three for each school based on any relationships they may have with that particular department or which strengths I wanted to emphasize, and also in some ways I was hedging my bets in case one letter wasn't quite as strong as I imagined.  I know it sounds a bit crazy, but in the past I have had a letter writer or two who offered to write a glowing letter but when they sent me a copy (too late) it was either poorly written, a "rush job", or simply not specific enough with the sorts of details which make a good letter really convincing.  Since, I've tried to not put all my eggs in one basket, and having an extra letter writer may well enable you to do the same if you like.  

[Wander]

Thanks for the responses!

 

I suppose I should have clarified that I'll be applying for programs in hydroclimatology, which is why I posted on this forum (I thought that emphasis on previous research from field to field may change). This helped clarify not only who I may want to approach for LoRs, but what I should be considering and communicating to them when I do ask for a LoR. Thanks again.