<p>I am currently applying to masters programs in bioengineering. My problem is that I have not been particularly outgoing throughout my undergraduate career, and I am not sure about who would give me the best letters of recommendation. Here are the options as I see them:</p>
<p>-Professor who I've done research under: I haven't communicated with him one on one too much, but he is familiar with the work that I have done and has the professor title</p>
<p>-the grad student I've done research under: He is most familiar with my research and could provide the most detailed letter</p>
<p>-supervisor from previous work: this work was in an unrelated field, but the setting was at least professional and she could speak to my work ethic</p>
<p>-professor who taught a course i took: didn't interact with anyone, but did well in courses. I could maybe set up a meeting and explain to them that I would like them to write me a letter and help them get to know me a little better.</p>
<p>I need 3 letters of recommendation. Which would be the best options? Thank you for the help!</p>
<p>You didn’t mention that. It’s not ideal. Some people would have the grad student write it and then the professor sign for it. If they actually have different things to say then it might work, but I doubt thats the case. Is #3 research or lab-related? What kind of “work” are we talking about.</p>
<p>Oh ok, then stick with those 3 and don’t worry about it. You can think of different points you want them to talk about and tell that to them when you discuss the letter, but mostly it’s out of your hands, so just enjoy the ride. :)</p>
<p>FYI I used 2 professors like your #4, and 1 research supervisor (non academic) so I sort of know where youre coming from. I’m just crossing my fingers.</p>
<p>The general rule of thumb for PhD admissions is that letters from PhDs are the strongest. I just remembered that you’re applying for Master’s so that may not be the case. I had 4 candidates:</p>
<p>1) professor I never talked to - A+ in the class - the exact subject I want to enter
2) professor I sort of talked to - A in the class - major/related field
3) supervisor for whom I did R&D work (not a PhD)
4) supervisor for whom I did lab work but not “R&D” (not a PhD)</p>
<p>As I mentioned earlier, I chose 1, 2, and 3. I also asked 4 to write me a letter for schools that **read<a href=“not%20just%20accepted”>/b</a> more than 3 letters (I called each to school to ask what their preference was). 3 of the 10 schools I applied to found this acceptable. I felt bad for my this #4 supervisor since I wasn’t asking him for all schools and I thought he could really speak to my work ethic. But I’ve gotten over this. </p>
<p>As far as approaching the professors, I first emailed them and asked if they’d be willing to write me a letter and if so, we could set up a meeting in their office. Thankfully they both agreed. Then I drove 200 miles to my undergrad school and met with them. Fortunately both were free the same morning and I got to hang out at my friends’! This all happened exactly 3 months ago. I wanted to give them plenty of time. As far as the quality of those letters go, I’m a bit nervous because they submitted them as soon as I started the applications - which means it probably didn’t take them very long to think about or write. :-/</p>
<p>How long were your meetings and what did you discuss? Is there anything that I should prepare for them? When you met with them, did you get the impression that they were actually interested in helping you out?</p>