I need a strong recommendation and am a little torn about which of two classes I should choose. The professor for one class is well-connected and established in his field, but the class is enormous (+100 people). The other class is taught by a recent PhD, but the class is only about 20 students.
Assume I perform equally well in both classes. Which reference would give me a greater edge re: applications?
Application to what? Transfer, grad school?
You need a recommendation that will speak to your scholastic strengths, but also to your work ethic, your personality, and your character. MIT has a great resource for teachers on writing recommendations. Does the professor of the large class know you well enough to write such a detailed letter? http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs
If the answer is “meh” or “not really” then I would go with the professor of the smaller class.
@gibby - I haven’t taken the classes yet! Do you realistically think I could get to know a professor of 100 students well enough in office hours to accomplish all of that^? Or should I play it safe and just go with the smaller class?
@goldenbear2020 Either/or. My more immediate goal is transfer, but if that doesn’t pan out, there’s always grad school!
Personally, I doubt you could get to know a professor well in a class of 100. That said, you should NOT choose a class based upon what kind of recommendation you may eventually get. You should choose the class because you love the material.
@gibby Of course. This is how I’m trying to decide between two classes that happen to be offered at the same time.
I think it is possible to get to know a professor in a class of 100+ students. Always, sit in the front. If he or she tosses out an occasional question, do your best to answer. Do well on the assignments and drop in at office hours every so often.
That said, if a graduate student is grading all of the papers and exams, the professor won’t have much to go on.
I can’t imagine the professor of the large class writing you a recommendation. I mean, you would have the grade, and that’s about all the information the prof. would have. Not sure the recent PhD would have much to say either, but at least you would be discussing in class, and maybe it would be evident that you are interested in helping the discussion along, considerate of others, and make meaningful intellectual contributions.
That said, I don’t think either situation is the best for a recommendation. I would think more along the lines of a professor for whom you work as a research assistant, a thesis advisor, that kind of thing. If you want anything beyond the generic, you would need more involvement with the recommender than either option offers, I would think.
If my goal were to transfer. trying to get the famous, prestigious professor to write a letter of rec seems awkward at best. Why go to the trouble of ingratiating yourself to that person, only to ask them to do you a favor because you’ve decided that their institution is inadequate? I have friends, some of whom are my own college classmates, who are full professors at their institutions, and who regularly receive (and decline) such requests. An adjunct, who has far fewer ties to the university, might be more willing to help out than someone whose professional identity and reputation is based on being tenured at the school.
The few cases where I know it has worked out - student needs to go home to help with family issues… and I think that’s it, in fact. I do know of one friend who told a student to stay where he was and perform extraordinarily well, and she’d write him a rec to a PhD program. Not sure what he decided to do with that, though.