<p>I think it can be applicable for any field...</p>
<p>So I'm applying for PhD prgrams and just found out that Prof Z has a couple of very good friends in my top choice's program and he seemed to suggest a bit that he'd love to get involved somehow. Now, I already have my advisor and a former boss who's a senior historian at a museum where I held internships for 2 years. So that leaves that last spot up for grabs.</p>
<p>Except that my advisor wanted me to use Prof Y which I was in shock because I would never dream of asking him. When he came to teach at my LAC, he was just a post-doc fellow, in process of defending his dissertation. Never taught a group of undergrads who knew nothing about his field (and mine). The department threw me in his class because of our shared interest. It was my worst class that semester and I ended up with the lowest grade in my major. I was encouraged over the semester by different professors to give him the benefit of the doubt just because he's young and has to start somewhere. Though I was risking my grades and giving time, I did without complaining of regret. He gave me a rather abberated grade for my midterm paper and would not help with my final paper at all- by that point, I was just exhausted and just felt that I was done for and there wasn't anything I could do except just finish that class. We've had quite a few conversations trying to get to know each other better on encouragement from my advisor who's the department chair. Needless to say, I did not enjoy my experience with him and I don't think he ever <em>got</em> me because we didn't always see eye-to-eye on different ideas and methology in our field. He never gave me the benefit of the doubt as he should've knowing my reputation in that department.</p>
<p>My advisor wanted me to use him for a couple reasons: To offset that low grade, that he's in my field and grad schools generally want to see at least one LOR with that, and she just trusts him to write a fair one. Since she and a couple of other profs encouraged me to use him as a tool to look for graduate programs, I e-mailed him just to get something going. He didn't really detail out any programs except for two that I already had in mind and told me not to apply to his alma mater (not right fit). Then I asked him if he'd write a LOR for me. TWO WEEKS LATER, he said yes and send him the package. Then I did. Finally he thanked me and said that he would write an "informed" letter.</p>
<p>What is that supposed to mean? Also a friend pointed out that he might not be a good one given the relationship and the fact that he's not tenured yet and grad schools might not look too favorably on that.</p>
<p>I am so torn over this. I know I should trust my advisor's word and guidance and she knew what was happening but I can't help think that there's an opportunity to use someone else who knows my potential advisor personally and he'd be a better person for this program.</p>
<p>Any ideas?</p>
<p>Ask Professor Z to write a fourth letter.</p>
<p>Happens all the time.</p>
<p>P.S. Tenure is not a qualification to write a good letter. Reputation in the subfield IS. And “informed” is good.</p>
<p>Hi TMP,</p>
<p>Saw your post somewhere else I think. It’s a tough call. However, don’t take the two-week delay or the counsel not to attend his alma mater as reservations about recommending you. (But do stay on his ass about getting the recommendations in on time, in case the delays are habitual.)</p>
<p>As far as the comment about writing an “informed” letter, I would guess that Prof. Z is a little shocked by the quantity of information provided in the package, and not sure what to do with it. I assume your package was like the one I gave my recommenders: a packet with deadlines and envelopes but also a CV, a transcript, and essays. One of my recommenders was my research adviser freshman year, who I had barely talked to since. His reaction was hard to gauge, and a lot like Prof. Z’s, I’m guessing. He seemed glad that he wasn’t hitching his wagon to a lame horse. On the other hand, he probably wondered whether I thought this new information would influence the way he wrote his letter. (Not my intention: the transcript listed the title of my fellowship project in his lab and the courses I’d taken with him; the CV listed the dates I’d worked with him and the results of my research project; and the essays described what my plans were for grad school.) After all, I was a snot-nosed 17-year-old when I joined his lab, and I’ve come a long way since, but he can’t really attest to that. Prof. Z might be in the same boat, looking down at your transcript on which his grade is a glaring blemish in a sea of As. He might wonder what you intend by providing him with this information, or it might genuinely be news to him. “Informed” is an appropriate adjective, really.</p>
<p>Personally, I would go with this recommender, at least as a fourth. The praise won’t be effusive, but it will be accurate. If he includes minor criticisms in his letter (likely, given the grade), it will make the commendations all the more poignant. For example, it sounds like you’d come to expect help writing your papers and were surprised that he refused to offer advice to you. He can say, “I watched her grow independent as a writer. While this characteristic wasn’t evident in her at the beginning of the course, which adversely affected her final grade, I am confident that she is now well-prepared for independent work at the graduate level.” You can be sure that he will make his high standards clear in the LoR, which will help explain away the mediocre grade in your field of interest.</p>
<p>You didn’t really stress it here, but I think in the other post you said that your adviser had intimated to you that Prof. Z does have a very high opinion of you. Trust her on that.</p>
<p>Did I say Prof. Z? Because I meant Prof. Y. My bad.</p>
<p>haha I figured it out.</p>
<p>Thanks… keep the opinions coming and I’ll keep weighing the scale. I should make a final decision sometimes this week as to give Prof Z plenty of time for the December 1st deadline (very early!). But the said school isn’t until Dec 12th.</p>
<p>Professor X- I think I mentioned that this guy is in his first year of teaching and so I’m not sure how well he’s spread his name around even though he mentioned the said school and another school that I’m already applying to. So with his little experience in supervising anything other than a couple of undergraduate classes, is his rep legit? Now I almost wish that Prof Y would call up my advisor and say, “You sure we’re talking about the same student? Gee golly, I never gave her a fair chance. Now how do I explain my position?”</p>
<p>tmp -</p>
<p>You are actually worrying MUCH more about this than you should. </p>
<p>A LOR and a “non-A” grade from a newly minted PhD will be seen by a graduate admission committee in light of their source – a rookie. New PhDs are known for grading as if they were grading grad-level work. But the LOR from this particular guy is still a good idea because he works in your subfield.</p>
<p>My advice remains: send 4 LORs.</p>
<p>I agree. Thanks guys. I’ve decided to ask Prof Z. With Prof Y, I’m not going to register him until he e-mails me for the access. I really don’t believe that he’s all that excited to write for me so we’ll see.</p>
<p>Thanks all!</p>
<p>I doubt Prof. Y is going to contact you about this. In fact, I cannot picture any of my professors, even the super friendly ones, e-mailing me out of the kindness of their hearts to make sure I don’t screw up my own grad school apps. (“Uh, did you remember that you’re applying to grad school this year? Because it’s March.”) You’re expected to have your act together, and writing letters is not at the top of their lists. Indeed, is any prof “excited” to write recommendation letters?</p>
<p>You asked this guy for a letter. You gave him a packet. Even if he hasn’t written the letter yet, he’s invested a lot of time thinking about it. Not only will he be pretty peeved if you don’t come collect that letter, he might also grumble to his friends back at your school (esp. your adviser), and potentially in the field in general. Seriously, it’s not cool to drop him like that.</p>
<p>Your best options at this point: (a) If he doesn’t know exactly where you’re applying, you could have him send fourth letters to only some of your schools. That way, if the recommendation is pure acid you will still get in somewhere. (b) Suck it in and send his recommendations everywhere. (c) Actually contact him instead of letting him “figure it out.”</p>
<p>Actually… here’s what happened since.</p>
<p>My major advisor (one who suggested him) begged me just to use him for the fourth letter. Then the next day I went to my minor (Jewish Studies) advisor as he also was in charge of Prof Y when he was here. He nearly fell over his chair when he found out that I got a grade that he did NOT expect at all. So he felt that Prof Y needed to clarify his position on my applying to grad schools and abilities. So it was agreed that he would drop Prof Y an e-mail emphasizing how important “strong” LORs are to me and I have other profs lined up… basically just getting him in his position.</p>
<p>Then I got an e-mail this morning. Prof Y told my minor advisor that he liked me quite a bit and was happy that I’m applying to grad schools in his field but NOT happy about my writing in his class but would reconsider in the light of the writing sample and SOP that I sent him.</p>
<p>Now…what? It’s pretty risky.</p>