<p>Hi, I'm about to graduate this june from UC San Diego with a BA in Sociocultural anthropology and a minor in International Migration Studies. I'm taking a year off before going to graduate school, working as a research assistant at the UCSD''s division of public health. I'm looking at pursing a PhD in Anthropology, with an emphasis in medical anthropology and public health.</p>
<p>So far the professors that I have in mind for letters of recommendation are not in the anthropology department. One is in Political Science, and the other two at the school of medicine under the division of global public health. I'm having them write the letters of recommendation because they are familiar with my research work since I have worked with them in different projects.</p>
<p>My concern is: will my application be less competitive if I'm only using letters from professors in other disciplines? Does it hurt? does it help?</p>
<p>I could have one professor in anthropology write a letter, but he is only familiar with my work in the classroom (library research papers, presentation, midterms, etc.) but not with my actual work in research.</p>
<p>A lot of people do graduate studies in a different discipline from undergraduate. What they’re looking for from letters of recommendation is a statement of your overall academic potential and research experience.</p>
<p>That said, I think it would be helpful to have your anthro professor write one of your letters. They don’t all need to be from people you did research with - if you have one professor vouching for your research and a second attesting to your academic performance in the field, that would be more powerful than two out-of-discipline research recs.</p>
<p>I think two research recommendations would be better than one from a professor you took a class with. Your transcript will tell them how you did in your classes, they don’t need a few paragraphs to expand on it. They’re going to be hiring you as a research assistant to do research, so that’s what they’ll be most concerned about.</p>
<p>There’s a lot more to academic performance than a simple grade, though. Was it a show-up-and-do-the-work A or was the student clearly interested in the field, inquisitive and connecting with the material beyond what was required?</p>
<p>Let me put it this way: if you majored in a field, want to pursue graduate studies in that field and yet don’t have a single letter of recommendation from a professor in that field, what is a gradcom going to think? They might infer that you were a great and capable student on paper but a total pain in the ass in the anthropology department, a poisonous personality who nobody wanted to work with or recommend.</p>
<p>If he’s getting academic letters from professors at other departments (especially ones he’s working/researching with), those character faults would be present there as well. It’s not like those negatives are permeable between departments – if you’re a bit of a jack-a, it’s probably recognized by the professors as well.</p>
<p>Anyway, professors who know you are the best referees. I applied to my Ph.D. program with 3 professors all in different departments than the one I applied to (had a chance to ask a professor in the same field, but it wouldn’t have been as strong), and I got into two of the “top 5” schools in my discipline. I am confident that I wouldn’t have fared as well if I compromised one of those 3 letters with the one I chose to omit.</p>
<p>Like RacinReaver said, getting a referee who only taught a class that you took isn’t informative (even if you always participated in discussion); your transcript will speak to your ability in a classroom – a professor who knows you outside the classroom can speak to your personality and potential as a researcher.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone. You pointed to some of my main concerns, using a letter that will only comment on my academic performance in one class, but not much more.</p>
<p>One of the problems with UCSD is that it’s a large school, and classes are large, and it’s more difficult to interact with the professor in an auditorium of 100+ students, than working in research with only a few other students.</p>
<p>Also, the professors I’m doing research with can also comment on my role as a student, part of research is being mentored.</p>
<p>@Oyama, I’m not working with her. I have heard of her, I think she’s still working at the School of Medicine. I believe her work is also under Family and Preventive Medicine, same department where I’m, but she works under a different division.</p>
<p>Hi everyone - I’m in the process of applying to grad schools right now for medical anthropology. I was told by my dean that I should have at least 2 letters from profs in the anthropology department, even though most of my research experience is in Interdisciplinary Studies, Social Science and Environmental Science. He also told me that the “higher up” the professor is in his/her department, the better it looks. He suggested that I submit 4 rec letters even though most schools only require 3. So I am sending 2 rec letters from anthro professors (1 prof A is head of undergraduate studies, the other prof is head of the anthro lab), 1 letter from ENVS (prof is head of undergraduate studies for department), and 1 letter from Interdisciplinary Studies (prof is head of the department). I hope this is helpful Good luck!</p>
Good luck!</p>