Recommendation/Reference Advice

[B-612]

I realize I'm totally clogging this forum... but I'll ask as long as you all will have me.

Is there a formula to references? Do all three need to be professors? Do all three need to come from master's level?

I ask because I was thinking of a few possibilities for a third reference:

* my undergrad Bible professor I've been close with since 2006; she could show I have a strong grasp of the Bible

* the LGBTQ center director under whom I served as chaplain for my MDiv field education, to show that my work has practical applications

* the priest under whom I've been working to show I have a strong grasp of theology, am rooted in a religious community and can write well (I edited everything he wrote)

[xypathos]

Undergrad professors are fine. Some may argue that your M* professors should be used over UG if available but go with who can argue for you better, followed by their reputation.

 

If you're going for a strictly "theoritical" field I don't see the LGBTQ director or priest having much clout. If you were applying for a "Practical Theology" PhD that was heavy on say counseling, then maybe. Unfortunately if you're applying for a PhD in say American Religious History, I'd stay away from personal LORs.

[marXian]

You want people who know you, your work, and your work ethic. Some people think that they absolutely have to get profs who have the most widely recognized reputations (I know this debate is going on in the Ph.D app thread.) While that certainly helps, it's not going to help if Prof. Famous has no clue who you are outside of the fact you got in A in one of his/her lecture courses. The people writing your LORs need to be able to speak very specifically to your abilities and your potential for graduate study at the Ph.D level. I had two from my seminary and one from my English MA who sat on my thesis committee. Since that prof was outside of the field, I asked him to speak to my ability to close read texts and to my writing ability, which he was happy to do. It was a bit of a risk, but the other options I had from the seminary would not have been able to write in detail about my abilities.

 

I do agree that personal LORs should be an absolute last resort. 

[B-612]

Yes, I only had one professor that I really had repeatedly over the course of my div career with whom I established a close relationship. I'm considering asking the former dean as well--we haven't talked in a while, but he volunteered to be my second reader for my thesis project and appointed me to several committees, so I'm hoping he might be willing.

[newenglandshawn]

Maybe this was implied in the various answers, but, assuming we have professors on the M* level who are familiar with our work, should we only use those who are from the area in which we are trying to apply (ie, OT/HB professors if I am applying to that particular field). Though I will be applying to OT/HB, I have one seminary professor from under whom I took a number of classes in theology. He might be more familiar with my work than the some of the OT professors I could use.

[cadences]

I have heard (but can't remember offhand from where) that it would be good to have one referee out of the three who is not a scholar in the field to which you are applying - it shows that you are not lopsided in your abilities but are wholistically intelligent. But that's not a rule, just advice that I heard (from somewhere) - I happily leave it to the others on the forum to confirm or refute this.

[marXian]

I don't think there's a problem with having a reference from outside of your specific field. American programs are already expecting you to come in with a relatively broad sense of what you want to do. I don't think one letter from someone outside your specific field is going to diminish your chances, especially if you know that prof is going to write you a fantastic LOR because he/she knows your work really well.