<p>today i gave 2 of my professors letters of recommendation for my transfer app. i am applying to uchicago and cornell (sophomore standing) from my large state school. i am feeling a bit uneasy about my letters of recommendation, however. i gave one to my physics professor, who is a great person and committed to writing me a good rec. i gave one to my math professor who basically told me that since he doesn't know me that well, the letter of recommendation would basically state my academic performance in his class and my caliber as a student. i also tried to explain to him why i want to transfer and it seemed like he might or might not include that information in my rec. FINALLY, i gave a "dean of students" form (for chicago) to the secretary of the dean of students at my school. she said that the form would be filled out and sent in to chicago as soon as possible, but to be honest, the whole process seemed like it was very detached and i dunno about the quality of letter i am going to get.</p>
<p>so that's my story...and what i'm left wondering about is if the letters of recommendation really matter much for someone like me at a large state school. i try to go into my professors' office hours and talk to them, but in the case of my math prof. that didn't really matter very much. the only recs i'm feeling sorta comfortable with are the hs guidance letter and the letter from my physics prof. well, do the recs. matter to a large degree for someone in my situation, or do schools realize that i won't have had much interaction with profs. because i am a freshman and because i'm at a large school? this makes me wonder if applying for transfer is worth it, especially to schools like chicago and cornell.</p>
<p>with all that being said, what are my chances at these schools?</p>
<p>stats:</p>
<p>satI: 2270
satII: 760, 750
ap: 7 tests, none less than a score of 4
hs gpa: 3.62
college gpa: >3.7 (not finalized yet)
ec's: 2 research jobs, medical society, community service; hs (large public)- orchestra, community service, math club, national merit scholar etc. i was pretty involved in high school.
college major: physics
college schedule: pretty darn tough for a freshman, only one intro english class and the rest are sophomore level and above -- 30 semester hours by the end of the year and 24 sem. hrs. of ap credits</p>
<p>applying to: university of chicago, cornell, and other publics that i feel comfortable about...</p>
<p>do i stand a shot, given everything i've bored you all to death with above? by the way, does your major matter in admissions to cornell/chicago?</p>
<p>for chicago's dean's rec don't worry - there's even a little spot on their site where it says they fully understand that most students don't know their dean. It's more of a disciplinary letter that says "we'd allow this student to continue if they wanted." As far as the math rec, that sucks. It probably won't hurt you since you're at a large state school, but obviously wouldn't help either. Your stats look pretty good. Focus on the essays, not the recs, which there's nothing you can do about. Good luck.</p>
<p>Yeah, im faced with the same problem...THANKFULLY my advisor is also one of my engineering class professors, and a TA under him teaches a more personal class, so I've had a lot of interaction with him as an advisor and he can work with my TA for in-class performance
however, im stuck for my other recs...im getting two from high school (counseler and calc teacher) and then i want to find another college prof. but my classes are such huge classes, and i don't simply want one that says "shes a good student and has a B+ in calculus and turns in assignments and homework on time, ect"...i guess the easiest way is to write that teacher a letter explaining your reasons to transfer/your passion for the subject, and offer to help in any way</p>
<p>also, is a recommendation from the dean necessary for every school?</p>
<p>Not unless they specifically provide a dean's recommendation form.</p>
<p>However Chicago's form only really asks for the Dean to note that the student is in good academic standing and would easily be allowed to continue with the school if he decided not to transfer. It's just a means for the school to make sure beyond your good work in class you are responsible on the university level.</p>
<p>All recs are important. Chicago says not to worry if the dean does not know you. Thus, Chicago doesn't feel an inddifferent dean rec will hurt. However, this does not mean that a great dean rec won't help.</p>
<p>Obviously a great rec from your dean would be greatly received.</p>
<p>Do not worry about the Dean rec. Do not worry about the Dean rec. Do not worry about the Dean rec.</p>
<p>The Dean form is a pro-forma where the school simply wants to know that you are in good standing at your current school, would be allowed to continue there and, basically, are not on the list of "regular trouble makers" that a Dean of Students has to deal with.</p>
<p>Your physics rec sounds like it is right on target for what you want. I think that if you did well in the math prof's class that his discussion of how you performed and your "caliber as a student" will serve you well. I don't think a transfer school expects a freshman to have in-depth relationships with a lot of professors. I think you are probably in good shape with the recs.</p>
<p>If the Dean happens to know you personally (as with the student above who had the Dean as an advisor), then the Dean rec can serve as a kind of prof rec and be a plus.
However, not knowing the Dean personally and just having the Dean form fill its main purpose, as outlined above, is fine and will not hurt you.</p>