Weight Carried by LOR?

[vnatch]

I am trying to put together a finalized list of the schools whose PhD programs I want to apply to, and I had a question pertaining to LORs. I already know two professors who I think will write me a decent one, but for my third rec letter I have a choice between two old professors. In terms of the quality of the letter and how well they know me, I would say that they are about equal, so I'm having some trouble deciding who I want to write it. I've been looking into their backgrounds and how well they are known in their fields, and it led me to ask this question: how much weight would it carry if the professor writing my letter got his degree from a school I am applying to? In my case, one of the professors got his PhD from U Kansas while the other got his degree from MIT (where I will be applying). Would MIT look more favorably on a letter by an alum and possibly increase my chances of getting in? I would be really interested in hearing some other opinions on this!

[Neuro PolarBear]

9 minutes ago, vnatch said:

I am trying to put together a finalized list of the schools whose PhD programs I want to apply to, and I had a question pertaining to LORs. I already know two professors who I think will write me a decent one, but for my third rec letter I have a choice between two old professors. In terms of the quality of the letter and how well they know me, I would say that they are about equal, so I'm having some trouble deciding who I want to write it. I've been looking into their backgrounds and how well they are known in their fields, and it led me to ask this question: how much weight would it carry if the professor writing my letter got his degree from a school I am applying to? In my case, one of the professors got his PhD from U Kansas while the other got his degree from MIT (where I will be applying). Would MIT look more favorably on a letter by an alum and possibly increase my chances of getting in? I would be really interested in hearing some other opinions on this!

Unless the professor has strong ties to faculty at the schools you're applying to (is an active collaborator with faculty you want to work with, mentored students that are now professors there, etc.), I don't think the fact that he received his PhD from MIT would really hold that much weight at all. And given that you say they are equally well known in their fields, what matters most is the quality of the letter they will write about YOU. You could contact one of the professors, ask if they'd be able to write you a strong letter of recommendation, and decide what to do based on the response you get. Are you applying this year? If not, you might have a better sense who to ask next fall. What is your relationship to each of these professors? Does one do research that is closer to what you want to do in grad school?

Edited December 31, 2015 by Micecroscopy