LoRs for biostats PhD application

[biostats2015]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm applying for biostatistics PhDs, fall 2015 entrance, and currently trying to work out who to ask to write letters of recommendation for me. I'm wondering if anyone has thoughts about who are the best types of people to ask.

 

Specifically, which of the following qualities are most important in a good letter-writer:

1. How well they know the candidate/ for how long they have known the candidate
2. Relevance of their own work (for example, I have a work supervisor who knows me well and I'm confident would write me a very strong letter, but who is a public health expert and does not have much of a quantitative background)
3. How well-regarded/known their research is
4. Position/seniority (e.g., Professor, A. Professor, head of department, postdoc, etc)
5. Whether or not they have taught the candidate in a classroom setting
6. Whether or not they have supervised the candidate doing research
7. Likely favorability of the letter- obviously very important, but how to weight these against other factors?
8. Other?

Thoughts?

 

(I hope it's okay that I posted this here rather than in the LoR forum- I'm most intersted in the thoughts of people who are familiar with the biostats PhD application process, as I figure recommendations might differ from discipline to discipline.)

[ginagirl]

I think the most important thing is how well they know you. My letter writers are not from quantitative fields and are not well-known. They were, however, able to speak about my preparation/personality in much detail (and very favorably). Each had something different to discuss (research, full-time work experience, TA experience, tutoring) and so each were able to describe a different aspect of my preparations.

If you can manage to have recommendations like this, I think that's the best you can do. I contacted a faculty member at a highly ranked institution after admission to discuss potential research, and she said she remembered me due to these letters, so I know that they were a very strong part of my application.

Obviously there is only so much control you have over what is said and who you have to choose from. Are there people you're trying to decide between?

[biostats2015]

Obviously there is only so much control you have over what is said and who you have to choose from. Are there people you're trying to decide between?

 

Thanks for the tips! Yes, there are about five people I'm trying to decide between. They are:

1. My masters research project supervisor, a statistics professor, knows me quite well and should be favorable.

2. A public health research supervisor (I work as a research assistant), has known me for about 2 years and would write a very good reference.

3. A co-supervisor on my masters project- applied mathematician working in a school of public health, has also known me for about 2 years, should be a decent reference but maybe not as favorable as no. 2.

4. An intership supervisor, who is a very senior and well-regarded biostatistician. I think he would write a favorable reference, but I have only worked for him for a few months (and very part-time). He knows me less well but could probably also draw on the thoughts of others I have worked with during my internship- I don't know if people sometimes do this?

5. An associate professor who has taught me three subjects during my masters degree, is a probabilist rather than a statistician but would be well-placed to comment on my academic record. I get the impression he regards me as a good student.

What do you think? I understand that some schools allow you to submit more than three references, in which case I would be tempted to ask all five since they could all comment on different aspects of my ability. The selection committee might get bored reading them though...

[ginagirl]

I would submit no more than 4 even if they allow it. I chose my three strongest for the programs that capped it, and included the 4th for those who allowed, since I felt my 4th still incorporated something different about myself. This is an individual thing and if you don't feel that an 4th letter truly adds something new, it's probably best not to include it.

I would say go with 1, 2, 4, with either 3 or 5 as the additional. Obviously this is based just on what you've posted here, but my reasoning is that you should pick either 1 or 3 since they may know you in mostly the same context and for the same purpose. 2 sounds like it would be a strong reference and the length of the relationship indicates this will probably cover a lot of positive things. 4 might be a good choice since he is well-regarded, which normally I don't think carries much weight, but is obviously beneficial if he can also write something thoughtful/positive, and it doesn't sound like he would write a worse letter than 2 or 5. I'm not sure if "drawing on the thoughts of others" is something that is done, but definitely they can draw from your own thoughts, about your goals, etc, so it may be worth sitting down and talking with him about this. That might give him some guidance on what to incorporate into your letter if he doesn't specifically ask.

[biostats2015]

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice- actually those were my instinctive choices as well!