Critieria for choosing who to write LoR

[mphct]

Please rank:

1). How well he/she knows you

2). Reputation in the filed

3). Relevance of His/Her expertise to the filed you intend to apply

 

[mphct]

Also, I have a specific delimma on choosing LoR and would appreciate your suggestions!

 

My Background:

1). Applying for MPP/MIA for 2014 fall admission. Focus on media and international policy.

2). Recent graduate with a B.A. in International Relations

3). Had two internship with major media outlets in my country. Currently intern with a current affair talk show. Took a summer school at Harvard on Journalism. Other internship/extracurriculair include: a think tank/international development agency/leadership role in student-led conferences/organizations

 

Letter One: A professor who knows me well and will write me a good letter.

???Letter Two: Professor B v.s. Professor C v.s. Professor E

 

1). Professor B: A historian. very well-known and renowned in his filed. I did very well in his class. He even said let him know when my graduation happens and he will try to make it. (Given that he is not at all a professor who is generous with his time for student, that's really something ). So I guess he will write me a good letter on my active class contribution, strong motivation and intellectual curiosity (might be relevant for MPP candidate?). Concern is that he is in history but I am applying for an IR/public program.

2). Professor C: An senioar IR Scholar. Took 3 courses with him (grades are straight up every time but not the highest). Often visit him in office hour. Know me well, but I don't think he will rank me as the most top students he has taught (he said he will rank when writing RoL).

3). Professor E: A well-known IR Scholar, focusing on Policy. Never teach undergraduates but I met him because I often went to public seminars/lectures on IR hosted by the policy institute in my university (He was the head of the Institute). Invited him to the conference I helped organized as speaker. Audited his graduate class for 2-3 times with his permission. Occacional email corespondence to update my currents on study.

Not sure if that's enough information for him to write a letter.

 

???Letter Three (professional Letter): Mr. X v.s. Mr. Y

1). Mr.X: A leading economist in my country. Met him when he was a visiting scholar in my university (I am from Asia and go to college in North America), invited him to speak at an international conference I helped organize (I moderated the panel he attended), and establish good personal relationship. When I was an intern with a national newspaper, I attended the press conference of a high profile conference he helped organize, and also arrange an interviews for another high-profile conference he organized with my current show.

Good thing: He knows me well, and can speak of my abilities in professional settings. He also knows my goals and aspirations, chacters, and will write me a supportive letter.

Concern: since I will stress my goal in media indsutry, I am wondering if I need a letter directly from people in the filed. ==> Candidate 2)

 

2). Mr. Y. Director and host of my show, a well-know host in my country. Among his interviewees include many well-known scholars in IR/Poli Sci in the West, so probably he is known among a small academic circle in the U.S. as well. He did not directly supervise me, so we had limited interactions, though I am sure I made good impression on him about my working abilities.

Since I will state in my PoS that I hope to go back to my country and work in the media industry by hopefully having a current affair show, he can directly speak my potentials in so (more relevant).

2 Concerns. For one, not sure if he knows me WELL to write a thoughtful letter. For the other, he was in a controversy (made some nationalist/exphonebia comments) that distained his reputation among western scholars several years ago. 

 

Really appreciate your suggestions, folks!

Edited November 6, 2013 by mphct