Third LoR is going to be weak... What to do?

[mockturtle]

I've got a dilemma: 2 strong sources for letters, and 1 "uhhhhhhh....". It seems very much like I'm going to need an LOR from a professor I've only had one class with, and I'm not sure how to navigate this situation. Is it still possible to build a strong rapport, and help to better inform that letter? Am I screwed? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

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Two of my letters are coming from PI's, and I can expect them to be very strong. But for the third, I'm drawing a blank. My only other relevant previous job really cannot (and should not) yield me any letters. Suffice it to say that I just didn't make a good impression on that PI. And having been a transfer student, there's only one professor that I've taken multiple classes with, but they were huge, and I didn't distinguish myself.

 

The best remaining option I can see is a professor with whom I recently took a graduate-level, seminar-style class. However, I never cultivated a strong relationship with her outside of class (or with anyone else, apart from my other 2 letter writers). I know: yikes. It's *completely* my mistake, I was never an "office hours" person because I always thought they were for pleas for advice and panic scenarios, and nothing else. But I won't make excuses, there's just no helping it now. I'm friendly with her, though, like we'll greet each other when we pass on campus, so at the very least she knows me as more than a name. 

 

Here's the bright side, for what it's worth, and why I'd lean towards her above another professor. That class gave me the chance to demonstrate and flesh out the specific interests I want to pursue in grad school more than any other course I've ever taken, through both a term paper and a solo presentation with self-chosen topics. I'd hope that she'd be able to speak towards my sincere love of those topics, my writing abilities, my personality, and my critical thinking. The course was small, upper-level, full of grad students, and I aced it. It fell under a research interest of mine that won't be reflected by my other letters, and I was active in in-class discussions. I'm also enrolled in a second class of her's this fall, if that matters.

 

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Does this sound absolutely inadmissible as an LOR? How dangerous is having 1 out of 3 letters be this weak? Believe me when I say that if there were a better choice I'd be taking it, but I'm not sure there is. I want to improve that letter, if I can, but would anything I do or say this late even make a difference in the strength of that recommendation?

 

I feel like if I do contact her, I should be honest and upfront about needing a letter. But I'm afraid it could come off corny and transparent to do that, and only *then* offer to meet with her properly for the first time, as if I don't actually care...

 

Thanks a bunch!

[MathCat]

That doesn't sound that weak to me. Some people only have letters from profs who only know them from having taught them in one big class, while you will already have two strong research related letters. This prof actually sounds like a good third choice to me - she obviously knows who you are, she has seen your recent work in an area of interest, and if you aced it I'm guessing she thought you were capable. She will probably want to talk to you or at least read your SOP to get a better idea of your background and interests, but I doubt this is going to be a weak letter. A really weak letter would be more like "this student took my class X and got grade Y. That is in the top Z% of the class." She probably knows you better than that if you took a seminar course with her.

 

As for asking, I think you should just ask. Drop by her office hours and talk to her, or set up a meeting to discuss grad school with her.

[TakeruK]

I think this is a good third letter and you should just ask her to meet with you to talk about grad school. Ask her for advice and her thoughts too, not just for a letter because it sounds like this person could be a good source of advice for you too!

[mockturtle]

Aaahh, thank you guys!! I'm so relieved that this might not actually be a disaster of a letter. What scares me is the fact that, all else aside, this is still someone with whom I've taken only 1 class (so far), without ever going to office hours. But I'm glad the other information does improve things!

 

(She's also a graduate of one of the schools I want to apply to, although they only require 2 letters. Maybe this will be the 1 time in my life I choose to go for an extra LoR   )

[drownsoda]

I was so busy in undergrad that I barely had a chance to talk to any of my letter writers about the prospective programs. I was only able to ask one in person, who was entirely out of my field but who I'd done an internship under, and I only knew her for the length of one class; she was more than happy to write a letter for me, although I did build a solid relationship with her in the classroom (spoke a lot, talked to her about our assignments, etc.).

The other was one of my favorite professors who I'd built a good working relationship and taken multiple classes with, and the third was the head of a writing tutoring program at a community college where I'd done another internship. 

Basically, I don't think it really matters if one of your writers has only known you for one term. It's obviously a plus to have at least one of your writers be someone who knows you and your academic strengths well, but having a letter from a prof. you've known for a short period is not the end of the world. Even if she doesn't know you THAT well, she at least knows what your strengths are as a student, and I don't think having one letter from someone in that position is going to kill your application.