POI is also my potential letter of recommendation?

[timetobegin]

Quick question if anyone has ever gone through this:

 

I graduated from an anthropology degree at the end of 2013. I decided to take time off to work, and am now applying to Masters programs. I'm applying to a variety of schools, including the school I did my undergraduate degree. Many of the professors I'm planning to ask for letters of recommendation are also professors I would like to work with, as they're really the people who created my interest in these fields and the reason I decided to further my education in anthropology.

 

 

Is there an ethical issue in asking a professor for a letter of recommendation...to their own department? Or asking them for a letter of recommendation, and also mentioning that I'm interested in working with them? I know it must be done all the time, but how does one go about this? It feels awkward to me, I guess because I haven't seen these professors in a year.

Edited January 8, 2015 by timetobegin

[Dedi]

I've done this with a POI that I worked for last summer. He might have been my strongest letter--not just because of the content but the fact that it showed that we had research and personal fit.

 

If you want to go about this, I would suggest building up the rapport again (which shouldn't be too hard if they remember you) with the intent of working with them in the future. Then it shouldn't feel so awkward to ask them for a LOR.

 

I personally don't see ethical issues with this, but my POI is cross-appointed with the department I'm applying for and therefore the admissions committee might not even know him. If the POI is the graduate admissions director, I might see issues.

[rising_star]

You won't be the first to have done it. In my field, some departments grant both master's degrees and PhDs but, to move between the two programs, you have to re-apply (same as all the external applicants for the PhD program), get rec letters, etc. So, in that case, all three of people I got letters from for PhD programs, which included my MA department but also 6 letters, wrote letters on my behalf, including that I planned to continue working with them if I were to stay. In the end, I went elsewhere for my PhD but it was fine to get letters from them. If you've worked closely with that person and they're qualified to comment on your ability to succeed in graduate school, then you need a letter from them in your file. Don't worry about the fact that they also work at that school as your POI. For all you know, that POI may not be on the adcom and thus may not be making the decisions. 

[TakeruK]

I agree with everyone else. Also, it's not your problem to worry about. It's the POI's responsibility to exclude themself from debate on your application if their department policy prohibits it. In my field, undergrads often do summer research projects at different universities and it's very common to apply to those universities for grad school. This is usually seen as a very good thing to do and you are totally expected to use the extra advantage of knowing / having previously impressed the profs there. In my program, I would say between 20% to 40% of admitted students actually worked for professors in this program in the past. 

 

Also, like rising_star said, some programs require you to reapply even if you stay at the same school. In Canada, since MSc and PhD programs are separate, you reapply and you need a LOR from your own supervisor even if you want to stay and work with the same supervisor.

[NOWAYNOHOW]

I am pretty sure this is common practice and often encouraged by departments. The department where I work often admits former students of faculty that advocate for them during the admissions process. One of my LORs comes from the co-chair of a department I applied to.  If anything, wouldn't it offend a professor you were close to if you didn't request an LOR when applying to their department?