Jump to content

Applying for PhD - LOR from Undergrad Supervisor or Grad Courses Prof?


zitaltw

Recommended Posts

I am a current MA student in School Psychology and will be applying for PhD in the same stream this fall.

I need two academic references for most of my applications. I am guaranteed with a good reference letter from my MA supervisor, who can comment on my academic (two grad courses that I did well in) and research abilities (working on my thesis with her right now). My question is who to ask for my second LOR, out of the following two options:

1) My undergraduate supervisor, who is in the field of Clinical Developmental Psychology. I worked in her lab for more than two years and she was also my thesis supervisor. I am still working closely with her right now on publishing results of a project to which I contributed. I have gotten really strong LOR from her previously for my MA and scholarship applications.

2) Another professor from my graduate program. She taught two of my courses, where I did okay in the fall-term one (mid 80s) and better in my winter-term one (low 90s). I did really well on both of my final papers, but not so well on presentations (she has pretty high standards and presentations are definitely not my forte). Overall, I have a sense that she doesn't think of me as one of her top students.

My first instinct was to ask my option 1 for the LOR, but she replied with the advice that reviewers of applications would expect more recent assessments of my graduate work. This has led me to question my choice - any thoughts/advice on who I should choose as my second reference?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, GreenEyedTrombonist said:

Have you discussed your options and concerns with your MA supervisor? 

Oh, I don't know why I didn't consider that. Thanks for the advice!

 

22 hours ago, Concordia said:

Without further info, 1).   You'll get a good reference for your current work in addition.

I guess it would be a good idea to remind her to write about our recent contact and work. Thank you so much!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use