Applying with all LOR outside English

[robertmck]

Hello, I really could use some thoughts on this.

Originally I was planning on applying to mathematics PhD programs.  I've done research in mathematics, I've taken the GREs, I have three good letters of recommendation, and I have a great transcript.  However, in the last few months I've changed my mind and instead want to do an MA in English.  It's not completely out of left field, I have a minor in English and I feel like I would be a decent candidate considering everything except the LORs.  I've reached out to the two English professors I feel would be able to write me strong letters, but they rejected me and said that I should have come earlier.  Will it be possible to get an acceptance at a public state university with only letters in mathematics, or is this a long shot?

If it's not in the realm of possibility, then I could gather letters next semester and try for the next application year.  I could also switch English into a second major, but I'd rather not prolong my graduation by so much.

 

Thank you

[echo449]

I mean, 1) you should be applying to good programs that will fund you (even if you are doing a Masters). So, 2), these programs will be more competitive, and, as such, you'll need people who can vouch for your performance in an English classroom. Of three recommenders, two should be from English, but a third from math may actually make you stand out as a well-rounded applicant (there is a fetishization of science backgrounds in our field, which may work to your advantage). However, applying with no english letters puts the program in a position where they have to just guess how you'll be in their environment, which is pretty risky, you know? 

[ExponentialDecay]

There are plenty of good MAs that don't have funding, MAPH being one of them. If OP cares about the practical side of things, I would advise he stay the course and get a doctorate in applied math.

 

That said, this is all kinds of shady. It's not even November yet - most people won't have started writing their recommendation letters at all. Ask other professors in English, try to get at least one. 

[robertmck]

There are plenty of good MAs that don't have funding, MAPH being one of them. If OP cares about the practical side of things, I would advise he stay the course and get a doctorate in applied math.

 

That said, this is all kinds of shady. It's not even November yet - most people won't have started writing their recommendation letters at all. Ask other professors in English, try to get at least one. 

Yea I really don't understand why they said no.  My last math letter agreed just two or three weeks ago.  I might have overestimated how much we knew each other and they used time as an excuse.  On the other hand, if even they weren't willing to write me a letter, I don't think I will get a good one.  They're the only two English professors I've worked with out of class.  I'll reach out to one or two more.

[rococo_realism]

I happened to have the same issue as you, robertmck.  My B.A. is in English, and I minored in Art History. Earlier this year, I was going to study rhet/comp (like you were going to study mathematics), but I realized that I was quite charmed/transfixed by my art historical interests (listed on my profile) more than I was in my English ones. (And I'm interested in museum and non-profit work, not in teaching, necessarily.) When I decided to apply to AH programs, I was told, unequivocally, that I needed at least two of my letters to come from art historians. Luckily, I had gotten to know the art historians on my campus fairly well, and a couple have agreed to write letters. People in your eventual discipline are just better at assessing your readiness for graduate-level coursework in your respective discipline.

Definitely do ask those other professors. Their letters will be very important. And I agree with ExponentialDecay; it is strange that you were turned down when there's still about two months--give or take--to get things together. Perhaps they think you're being flip about this?

[ExponentialDecay]

Okay, here's what's weird about this. Your professors' excuse sounds like an excuse, and a bad one, and that could be for a lot of reasons besides you appearing flippant. It could also be because of the way you worded the letter, or it could be, sorry, because they don't think you would do well in a grad program. That said, that both professors used the same excuse is, you probably understand, highly unlikely unless they are in collusion, or it genuinely is too late. 

Here's what I think you should do: send emails to all of the English professors you've had, including the two that rejected you, asking for tips on applying for grad school (not something inane like "how do I apply to grad school", but stuff that shows that you've thought about this and researched things, like "do you think these programs are good for speciality x" or "how should I word the fact that I'm a math major in my SOP"). That may incite your two professors to be more forthcoming with their reasons for rejecting you, if they are indeed under-the-table. It will also built ground with the other professors you've had, because they will have you in their mind as a serious potential grad student, and it won't seem like you're asking for letters out of thin air (they may even offer to write you letters first). Professors tend to form opinions of which of their students have a likelihood of going to grad school in their field, and they do treat those students a little differently.