Letter writers from different department

[Edotdl]

I'm interested in the interface between engineering and neuroscience, namely understanding the computations performed by the brain and how they give rise to complex abilities/behaviors. My degree is in EE but all my research has been in systems/behavioral neuroscience labs, so my letters will all be from Neuro professors. I am planning on applying to EE PhD programs and was wondering if this would be detrimental. Would it be better to swap out one of the Neuro recs for an EE rec from a class (hence probably much weaker in terms of research). Thanks.

[fuzzylogician]

Generally I don't think swapping a strong letter for a weaker one is a good idea. You have to ask yourself what this letter from a EE professor will do for you that a letter from a Neuro prof can't. Since you don't have relevant research (I presume) that an EE professor can write about, the most they can say is that you participated in their class and did well. Unless that letter comes from someone exceptionally famous or well-placed, that letter won't be worth very much. The adcom will be able to see that you did well in class by looking at your transcripts. So, will this letter be able to do anything more than that for you? If not, I think you're better off having a stronger letter from a Neuro prof.

It'd be a good idea to talk to your letter writers, if you haven't already, about how what you studied and researched in the past interfaces with what you hope to do in your graduate program. That way, they can write their letter in such a way that the connections are clear and they can discuss how you've been thoughtful about those connections. You might have to teach them a bit about the kind of research your prospective EE programs do, and how the skills you learned in Neuro are relevant for what you hope to do in the future. Help them see the connections on their end, too. Also reminding them that the letter is going to professors outside their immediate field might help them remember to be clear about details and to spell out any assumptions or definitions that you might not otherwise.