<p>I'm considering applying for a Master's in ME this year, and I'd very much like to get my degree from one of the top 5(Stanford, MIT, Berkeley, Caltech - possibly UIUC). I already finished the gre(800Q,690V) and my GPA is 3.53(over a 3.6 if you take out two freshman courses >_>), which is supposedly pretty good from Berkeley. The only thing holding me from applying are the recommendations. Or rather the 3rd letter of rec.</p>
<p>I can get a good one from my research professor. I'm fairly sure I can get a decent-good one from one of my class professors. The only problem is the 3rd one. I'd like to get it from my Fluid Mech. prof, since I got an A in his class, but I didn't talk to him at all the entire semester. I'm not one of those people who enjoys talking to every professor and I just had no interest in the subject itself. </p>
<p>Do I still stand a chance if I go ask him for a dummy rec( aka "He did well in class" ) just so I can get the 3 recs needed? He can probably write something slightly better than a dummy letter, because I got something like a C+ from stupid mistakes on my first midterm, and I scored near perfects on my 2nd midterm and final.</p>
<p>The fluid mech prof probably is the best choice. The other professors I've had, I've only talked to a couple of times - mostly petty questions about HW or test grades. The problem's that I didn't even go to any office hours until junior year. Until then I was just coasting, not taking any particular interest in any of my classes, which is part of the reason my GPA isn't higher. I didn't even realize I had any desire to go to grad school till halfway through junior year. I had my thermo prof write one for another program I applied to last summer, but considering I didn't get in, I don't think asking him would be a great idea. The only other choice is my adviser, but I haven't had a class with her since freshman year.</p>
<p>Incidentally, how late can I ask for recs? Most apps I see suggest 1 month before deadline, but that seems a bit too late. The earliest app is mid December and that is for Berkeley itself. Would it be possible for me to shmooze up to him until mid October and then ask for one? That would give more than two months, and it's not like he'll have a disseration to write about me anyway. </p>
<p>But to be honest, I'm not sure what I would talk to him about. I have some questions about microfluidics that we might be able to discuss, but I'd feel awkward asking questions for the hell of it when I didn't say a word while in his class. There's a professor I have this semester who I actually do want to talk to, but the annoying little deadline issue pops up again. </p>
<p>Should I just give it up and try next year? My GPA will be up s'more and I'll be able to get a 3rd solid rec for sure.</p>
<p>Try this. Talk to all your department professors who have taught you. Start the conversation like "I like to go to graduate school. My interest is xyz. What do you think? Which programs/schools should I look into?". Don't mention recommendation letter and just listen to them. It is likely that they may try to convince you to stay in the depart or suggest alternative programs (not top 5) that are more suitable for you. And, if you are lucky, some may actually have an good impression of you and will offer to write the recommendation.</p>
<p>merper68!
Why you just ask your prof about his impression of you? Just ask :)
Or try to find some friends in faculty and maybe one of them could help you.</p>
<p>Do you have prof whom you can speak friendly? If yes, ask him!</p>
<p>AND FOR GOD SAKE, don't GIVE UP! ONE TODAY COSTS DOUBLE TOMORROWS!</p>
<p>I've only done research for one professor, which I'm continuing with atm. </p>
<p>As for the lining up my dept. profs and asking them which place is best to go to for my field, are you suggesting I do this with profs not even related to the field I want to study? ATM I'm leaning toward MEMS, which is the course that the 2nd prof I was planning to get a rec from teaches. I could see vaguely extending that to my thermo, fluidics or materials teachers, but asking, for example, my dynamics teacher would seem out of place.</p>
<p>It's more important to get a glowing recommendation than to have it be from someone who's exactly in the field that you want to enter.</p>
<p>I agree with dallas above -- "try out" a few different professors and see if they seem receptive to the idea of writing a rec. And, hey, while you're at it, get advice about grad school apps! :) The more professors you have who will listen to your grad school worries, the better for everyone. </p>
<p>It should be fine if you get the recommendation from the fluid mech professor, but the bottom line is that you don't just want it to say "did well in class". That's not going to help you get into a graduate program.</p>
<p>I think I asked my letter-writers in late September/early October last year. You could ask one or two before you ask the third, if you'd like.</p>
<p>Bleh, how do you just have a conversation with a professor? I have a terrible time just talking about something if it's not directly related to a lecture or a project I'm working on for the class(or for research). </p>
<p>I just went and tried to talk with a prof about his research because I was actually interested in it, but I think I just came off as weird, maybe pretentious. Maybe it's my approach. I think it's odd to be forward and just walk in and say "I'm interested in what you are doing. Tell me more." I think that shows that you haven't actually done any research on the guy and aren't really interested in what he's doing. But I went and asked for an explanation on a specific topic the guy was researching. I actually read a few of the his papers beforehand and understood most of them. He answered my question, but I couldn't seem to pull it back to his research, so after this little awkward silence I just said "Thank you" and left. </p>
<p>I don't know. I fear the same thing will happen if I just walk into my Fluid prof.'s office hours(or any of my other professors who I didn't really talk to while I took their class) and ask him for advice on which schools to apply to. That is, he'll just answer my question, and there'll be nothing else to say and I'll just leave. I'm pretty sure no brilliant rec will come out of that.</p>