Who to pick for third recommendation?

<p>So I'll be applying for grad school in organic chemistry this fall and I still have no idea who to ask to write my third letter. Last summer, I worked at a government facility with 3 phd's on an analytical chemistry project which is pretty unrelated to what I want to study in grad school. I feel like I left a memorable impact by the end of that summer. They nominated me and I was chosen to present my project at the end-of-summer colloquium, representing the entire chem division. So of course, I asked the phd I spoke with the most to write me a letter. </p>

<p>My second letter will be coming from my research advisor at school who I've done research with for the past year and a half. </p>

<p>As for the third letter, I'm stumped..I took a graduate-level organic chemistry course last semester and got an A in it, so I was thinking about asking that professor to write me a letter. I only came to his office hours twice, and he doesn't know me that well so I'm afraid that the letter isn't going to be so great apart from "he got an A in a grad-level class". </p>

<p>Who should I choose to write my third letter? One of the two remaining phd's whose work is unrelated to what I'll be studying in grad school but could possibly write a more personal letter? or the professor whose grad-level class I got an A in but doesn't know me so well?</p>

<p>“the professor whose grad-level class I got an A in but doesn’t know me so well”
thats who you should pick. Now go and talk to him about your hopes, ideas, plans for grad school, pick his brain, ask his advise, get to know him, let him get to know you, etc etc.
then ask for a letter.</p>

<p>Great advice from menloparkmom. Do not underestimate your professors. Give them a chance to get to know you and most will be happy to share their experience with you and help you achieve your goals.</p>

<p>If you were the only undergrad in the course, talk to him and if things go well, ask. I was sort of in a similar situation. I didn’t do any research with the professor but he somehow remembered me from a 400-person intro class so when I took his graduate course, he recognized me, and I briefly (very briefly) talked with him about my senior thesis with another professor. He had no problem writing me a letter.</p>