<p>I<code>m an international econ major senior and I</code>m planning to apply for an econ phd this semester. My problem is I have only one professor who knows me fairly well who is also my advisor. How much do you think the professor need to know the student to write a recommendation letter? Would going to their office hours for a few times do it?</p>
<p>From what you said, I guess that you still have at least one semester at college, don’t you? If that is the case, I think it is still enough for you to establish some connection with the professors that you like. Advice like sitting in the front in the class, giving response to the professors’ lectures, interacting, etc. will help you make an initial impression. Come to his office for a talk about like some issues in class (this will be in some cases employed as an excuse). Then you can cleverly tell him about your intention, asking him sth related to your majors, … Actually that much interaction is still not enough for the professors to know you well. However, you will leave an impression on him/her and it will be easier when you ask them for LORS later. When the time comes, have a serious talk with them about your grad studies plan and ask if they can help you write a STRONG LOR. I guess with the interaction you have with them, they will be willing to help you. They will ask you for your resume/SOPs for better input though.</p>
<p>You should probably get moving on this NOW! Aren’t deadlines in about a month and a half. Thats when they are for my field anyways.</p>
<p>How are letters from graduate students viewed?</p>
<p>very poorly. DO NOT get your LORs from a grad student. they don’t know how to write them and they carry absolutely no weight.</p>
<p>there’s got to be at least one other professor you’ve had some contact with, no? if not, pick classes where you’ve done really well, visit those profs, chat with them, provide them copies of old term papers or research you’ve done in their classes.</p>
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<p>Lol, what? What does the fact that one is a graduate student have to do with one’s writing ability?</p>
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<p>Did you pull that claim out of your ? You could at least attempt to back it up with an anecdote, if not an authoritative source.</p>
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Yes, I do have some prof letter(s), but most of the profs I contacted either ignored me or made it clear that they preferred not to write the letter. It’s not like I have much choice given the attitude/personality of professors at this school.</p>
<p>You ask for an answer and then reject the one you’re given? Sounds like you just want someone to solace you in the fact that your strongest letter will come only from a graduate student.</p>
<p>No, LORs from graduate students are of no use whatsoever. Graduate students are not recognized in the field, nor is there even a guarantee they ever will be (by being offered a professorship, etc.). Some graduate schools even specifically state that they will only accept letters from professors, not lecturers, post-docs, or graduate students.</p>
<p>You should really, really, really only use professors for recommendations.</p>
<p>A LOR from a grad student says “I couldn’t find three professors to vouch for me”. That’s not the kind of thing you want to stand out in an application.</p>
<p>I never said I rejected a letter I was given, ***? Most of the profs ignored me when I politely asked if they could write a letter, and there were one or two that said that they would be willing to write it but should consider asking someone else first, and I don’t trust these people to write strong letters.</p>
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Which? Links plz.</p>
<p>Does it matter if the professor is a PhD or an MS?</p>
<p>you want an anecdote? okay, professors of mine have LAUGHED about students’ applications that include letters from grad students right in front of me. they talked about how wildly inappropriate it was and insulted the intelligence of those applicants and said, and i quote, “well if this kid can’t figure out that a letter from a grad student is a bad idea, then that tells us all we need to know about him.”</p>
<p>graduate students in my department have been approached by undergrads asking for LORs, and the grad students have ably told them they cannot write those letters for them because 1) they don’t know how, and 2) adcoms would look highly unfavourably upon them. what those grad students have done, however, is offered to speak to a professor on the undergrad’s behalf, talk the undergrad up a bit, and provide anecdotal evidence to the undergrad’s research capabilities that the professor could include in a letter.</p>
<p>regarding grad students not knowing how to write LORs. i didn’t say they don’t know how to write, period. i said they don’t know how to write LORs. those are documents that are looking for very specific information. they want someone established in their field (and grad students are not) to write a letter attesting to a student’s abilities as a researcher.</p>
<p>in my undergraduate program, to get passed on to a selective concentration, you had to provide two LORs and neither could be from a grad student. if an undergrad program demands letters from professors only, then surely graduate programs would as well.</p>
<p>but you know what? you seem really set on getting a letter from a graduate student, so go for it! prove me wrong, really. if it doesn’t completely sink your application and you still get in somewhere, then that will be great for you. best of luck!</p>
<p>I was told that tenured professors are the ideal. Obviously the reputation of that professor will vary but normally the tenure is a qualifier of someone else to speak on your ability to write and conduct research.</p>
<p>Employers are fine in some cases and even the preferred in others, especially with professional degrees</p>
<p>Grad Students? Ha! You may as get one from your baby brother.</p>