Letters of Rec, who is better to ask?

Transfer Students
1

<p>The school I'm trying to transfer to asks for 1 letter of rec. out of transfers, but I plan to send 2.</p>

<p>The first is from one of my high school teachers that I was really close with and hung out a lot, that was an alumni from that college (Beloit), so the letter will be really strong. However, she was an english teacher and I am obtaining an Econ degree.</p>

<p>The second letter I'm still pretty unsure of, I have a few candidates in mind:</p>

<p>1) Really good Econ prof., he has high credentials, but I'm not sure how much he likes me, or how strong the letter is. I had him last semester and had gotten an A-, which is pretty good for his class. Unfortunetly, he hates all of his students, but I think he hates me less than most, but the hatred still exists. So I doubt the letter would be strong if he were willing to write it.</p>

<p>2) Mediocre Econ Prof., he is merely an assistant professor, but he likes me and I have done extremely well thus far in the class I have with him (I'm currently enrolled.) I just met him at the beginning of the semester so he wont have much to say other than I'm very proficient at Econ and I stay awake in class.</p>

<p>3) Music professor, this would be a very strong letter, and I have a high amount of involvement in music, yet I have no interest in receiving any music-related degrees. This teacher's credentials are fairly low, yet I know it would certainly be a strong letter.</p>

<p>4) A second High School teacher that I am very close with and would write an extremely strong letter. The teacher has very high credentials and has taught empricisim at the college-level, along with a slew of other accomplishments. He had written me one to get in to my current college, and apparently it was very strong. I just feel that since I already have one coming from a HS teacher I should also get one from a more recent professor.</p>

<p>So basically, can you rank the importance of these to consider when asking for letters of rec.?</p>

<p>*Related to the degree
*Credentials
*Strength of the letter
*Importance of how recent</p>

2

<p>Absolutely no on a second high school teacher recommendation. Not even sure you should have one from a high school teacher. Be very sure that Beloit will consider a hs rec at all.</p>

<p>Credentials of the prof are not important. If the prof has great credentials and can write you a great rec, that is a bonus. But the most important thing is that s/he can write a strong rec about <em>you</em> as you perform at college level work.</p>

<p>Very valuable to have the prof be in your intended field of study. With that in mind, music prof is a very, very poor choice for a proposed Econ major.</p>

<p>That leaves you with one of the two Econ profs. It's hard to tell about the "hates everyone" prof. Sometimes that gruff exterior is one thing, but their ability to write you a great rec could still be there. I think if it were me, I would ask him if he would be willing to write you a recommendation. Sometimes these kinds of profs really warm up to a student who shows interest in the field, wants their help etc. So see how he reacts and take it from there. Otherwise, use the other Econ prof.</p>

<p>If you choose the second Econ prof, don't worry that all he will be able to say is that you are "very proficient" at Econ. That is the most important thing! You can give him a bio/resume... to tell him more about yourself and/or sit and talk with him to flesh out why you picked Beloit, what your interests are. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

3

<p>Would it be a bad idea to send 3 letters of rec. when the college only asks for 1? I was considering asking both Econ Profs., a friend got a letter from the 'hates everyone' prof. and said that he was really flattered and was happy to write one.</p>

4

<p>For some schools, it is a bad idea. They strongly discourage supplemental material. For Beloit, I am guessing it would not be a bad idea at all. I'm basing this on the following from their website on required materials for transfer applicants:
[quote]
high school transcripts if you have graduated within the past 5 years
5) Teacher Recommendation ~ submitted by a faculty member or advisor at the college from which you are transferring
Note: SAT or ACT results and the Secondary School Report are optional.

[/quote]
I think you can slide the hs rec (if that is one of your 3) in under the "hs transcript/optional Secondary School Report" categories.</p>

<p>They also say elsewhere on their website (re freshman admissions, but I think you can assume their philosophy would be consistent):
[quote]
The Secondary School Report Form gives the college advisor or guidance counselor an opportunity to speak on a student's behalf. One additional academic recommendations from a faculty member is required, any recommendations beyond this are welcome.
A good recommendation will address academic aspects that may not be obvious on the transcript--does a student participate in class, try hard, work well with others? We can get some sense of this from a grade, of course, but a teacher or counselor can give us a very good idea of a student's hidden strengths.</p>

<p>We are also happy to review one or two additional letters from people who may know a student in a different way: pastors, employers, and parents--yes, parents.

[/quote]
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