Who to choose as a LOR writer: more options

[Washoe]

I am applying to anthro grad programs, so my first LOR writer will be my MA supervisor in anthro, I took a lot of classes with him, both in undergrad and as a master student, did an excavation with him, we published a paper together, he supervised my education. it is an obvious choice because he can atest to my abilities on several levels. 

 

Now, I have three more people who could give me really good references:

 

1) My other MA supervisor (I was a double major): It is pretty much the same as my other supervisor, did my thesis under her, took several classes, published a paper together, so, basically, she knows me well and would write a good letter, However she is not directly related to bio anthropology, but is a linguist.

 

I can connect the work I did with her with some programs I am applying too but for some of them it will be irrelevant.

On one hand, I am not sure if her letter will be that important for some of the programs because she is not in that field of study- on the other hand, leaving out a second supervisor might seem a bit fishy?

 

2) My lab supervisor: she is a Phd, i volunteered in her forensic anthro lab, she was a wonderful tutor, taught me everything I know about that, can say a lot about  the work I did there, but she is younger and not that well known.

 

3) An older  professor, more established in the field, but does not know me that well: I took a few classes with him (not the mega-classes, more small classes up to 10 people and seminar where there was only 4 students- so I am definitely not just a face in the crowd. I also did a (really) small independent research project for his seminars, which isn't published. He is also willing to give me a good reference.

 

 

So, my question is, which 2 to choose: other supervisor (not in anthro), lab supervisor (knows me better) or prof (has better rep)?

 

[fuzzylogician]

How well does the older professor know you? As a general rule, a detailed letter from someone who can talk about your ability to do research is better than a letter from someone who can't really speak to that, even if you asked good questions in class and did a tiny project. I assume the paper you wrote with the linguistics professor is not the same as the one you wrote with your other advisor? I think having someone give a detailed description of your work on this paper, which would otherwise not be present in any of your letters, is very important. I understand the concern about the writer not being known to your readers and hence having less weight, but a weak(er) letter from a famous person is not necessarily a good way to go. I'd look into the option of having 4 letters, which many schools will allow, but if you have to choose three, I'd go with options 1-2 and pass on 3. If the prof is willing to do that for you, having him email/call his friends about you will go a long way even if he doesn't end up writing you a letter, but that depends on the kind of relationship you have with him. 

[Washoe]

Thanks, fuzzy logician, will definitely go with your advice. When you put it like that, it does seem that my lab supervisor might be a better option- the more estalished professor did sit on my thesis committee and we did interact a lot, but when it comes to what he really knows about me, I guess he could only really talk about some general traits of me as an MA student.

 

As for the papers, they are two separate ones, with very different topics and methodologies so I guess including my other supervisor would not be a bad idea. Thanks, again