Whom to ask for letters of rec?

[chaussettes]

Hi! A newbie with a question.

I'm planning on applying to grad school for Comp Lit next year (medieval lit, French, Spanish and Latin), and I was trying to decide now whom I would like ask to write recommendations for me. I already have one recommender in mind (a professor who is very well-known and with whom I have taken several classes, including a graduate seminar), but I am trying to pick two more out of three. What I am unsure of is whether it is more important to have a recommender who is tenured (or tenure-track), or someone whose interests are more closely aligned to what I intend to study (and apply for) in grad school.

The three people I have in mind are:

1. An associate prof in Comp Lit and Classics.

2. An assistant prof in Comp Lit and Classics, but a medievalist. Focuses mainly on medieval Latin, but does other medieval literatures as well.

3. A lecturer in Comp Lit. Does medieval French and Welsh literature. Despite being a lecturer, is relatively well known, has numerous publications (including a well-reviewed book). Edited one of the ms in the recently published edition of the various Chanson de Roland, alongside some very well known and distinguished scholars in the field.

I have done extremely well in classes with all three of them, but I don't know whom to pick. All the sources of advice I have read say that it is best to choose a someone who is tenured or is tenure-track--some even say that, if possible, the recommender should be a full professor, not an associate professor. Does tenure outweigh the importance of relevance to my intended field of study? I am trying to decide now because next semester, the associate prof and the lecturer are each teaching a class at the same time, both of which I am very interested in, and ideally, I would like to take a class with whomever I plan to ask for a recommendation.

Any advice you have to offer would be much appreciated!

Edited January 13, 2010 by chaussettes

[anxiousapplicant]

I really don't know anything about the rank thing. I would imagine that a full professor carries more weight than an associate. That being said, pick the ones who know you the best, because they're the ones who can make you come alive in their letters. My recommenders, two full profs and one associate, know me extremely well. Hell, one even knows my cat's name. I'm not saying that's a qualification, but you take my point--they know me. I have taken over six classes each with two of them. They've read my work and critiqued me and they know my career goals. So if anything of this sounds familiar to you in your own situation, try to go with professors like that.

[chaussettes]

Thank you for your reply!

I'll keep that in mind, although that isn't really my situation--I guess I feel that all these professors know me equally well at this point. With all other beings equal, I was wondering what would be more important in a recommender.

I really don't know anything about the rank thing. I would imagine that a full professor carries more weight than an associate. That being said, pick the ones who know you the best, because they're the ones who can make you come alive in their letters. My recommenders, two full profs and one associate, know me extremely well. Hell, one even knows my cat's name. I'm not saying that's a qualification, but you take my point--they know me. I have taken over six classes each with two of them. They've read my work and critiqued me and they know my career goals. So if anything of this sounds familiar to you in your own situation, try to go with professors like that.

[JennyFieldsOriginal]

i don't know if this will help you, but when i was soliciting recommendations i had two who had tenure and one who didn't. i know the one who didn't VERY well, she was an assistant professor, getting ready to publish a book, had some articles under her belt. not an unknown by any stretch. and the other two more famous/tenured recommenders pressed me as to whether i had anyone else more senior to ask.

in the end they sort of thought that their names could carry the day and that a really strong positive recommendation from this woman would be fine...but still. there is no bad blood whatsoever between these three and and it's not as though they think ill of the third recommender. i think you might want someone with tenure if you can wrangle it. especially if all other things are equal.

now this was only my personal experience, and i don't know exactly what the situation is with your department and the reputations of your recommenders but i'd go with who's got tenure.

[mudlark]

I wouldn't use the lecturer, regardless of how experienced s/he is.

[kfed2020]

These professors all know each other. Rank probably matters less than a recommendation written by a friend. Not something you can predict, and therefore, not something for you to worry about.

Use the professors most capable of speaking to your abilities. Given that proving these abilities should be the aim of your application, I'd say you should focus on this. Of 3 recommendations, you can safely submit one from a junior faculty member who hasn't yet made a name for him/herself. After all, they're the ones that tend to know you best!

Edited January 16, 2010 by kfed2020