Will having a recommendation letter from an associate prof at Harvard be helpful at all?
Just curious, thanks 
I posted this on another thread today, but here it is again:
About 1,000 high school students enroll every summer in Harvard Summer School classes with the intention of getting an ‘A’ in their college level class AND getting a Harvard professor to write them an additional letter of recommendation to the college. My guess is that about a third of those high school students (330 or so) actually succeed with their plan. However, Harvard Admissions does NOT take all 330 of those high school students who have an additional recommendation from their Harvard professor – maybe they take 10% of them (if that) – that’s true even when that professor mentions that the student is a good fit for the school based upon their own personal experience.
Now, what makes your situation different than those summer school kids (other than you didn’t mention you took a college level class from this professor)?
Bottom line: It doesn’t matter who writes your letter of recommendation, it matters MORE what they say about you. Harvard asks for two recommendations from teachers who recently taught you in an academic subject because they want to hear what kind of a student you are in the classroom. Are you the kid who always has their hand raised ready to contribute to the classroom conversation? Or, are you the shy kid that knows the answer but must be called upon? Are you the classroom clown? Or, the know-it-all kid? Do you lead classroom discussions? Do your peers respect you as leader of those discussions? Do your fellow teachers respect and admire you? Does your writing go beyond the strictures of the assignment? How do you compare to your peers in terms of your writing ability? Your math ability, etc? Of all the students they have taught in their many years of teaching high school, how do you compare?
Can the associate Harvard professor answer any of those questions? If yes, then by all means have them write an additional letter of recommendation. If not, then their recommendation will NOT be move your application forward, as it will just show you know someone who teaches at Harvard.
How do you know this associate professor? How well does he or she know you, academically and as a person? Is the person’s position at Harvard the only reason you would ask?
As Gibby said, there is another thread that is similar, asking if an “alum” of Harvard would be a good recommender. Check it out.
@gibby and @compmom, thank you so much for all that information! It was really helpful! I don’t know this professor through the summer program. I’m interning under them this summer in their lab. Once again,thank you!
If you work under him in an interhship, a recommendation letter is appropriate regardless of where the prof. went to school : )