Crappy grad school rec from great prof

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges of obtaining effective recommendation letters for graduate school applications, particularly in the context of limited options for the original poster (OP). The conversation touches on the weight of recommendations from well-known professors versus colleagues in various professional fields, with a focus on the OP's application to a Master's program in Statistics.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • The OP questions whether a mediocre recommendation from a well-known professor is better than no recommendation at all, given their limited options.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the value of a "crappy" recommendation, questioning its potential impact on admissions.
  • One participant suggests that the reputation of the recommender may be less important than their ability to evaluate the student's potential for graduate school.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of the recommender's relationship with the student, suggesting that letters from those who have supervised the student in a more substantial capacity may carry more weight.
  • The OP acknowledges their limited options for recommendations due to a lack of relationships cultivated during undergraduate studies.
  • Participants discuss the relevance of the OP's colleagues' professions, suggesting that recommendations from statisticians or engineers may be more beneficial than those from unrelated fields.
  • One participant shares their own experience of using recommendations from engineers at their job, indicating that relevant professional experience can be valuable.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best course of action for the OP. There are competing views on the value of recommendations from well-known professors versus those from professional colleagues, and the discussion remains unresolved regarding which option may be more advantageous.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the effectiveness of different types of recommendation letters, highlighting the subjective nature of admissions processes and the varying weight that different institutions may place on recommendations.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals seeking advice on graduate school applications, particularly those facing challenges in obtaining strong recommendation letters, may find this discussion relevant.

dudebroIII
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if you took the top math or physics class at your school (think Math 55 at Harvard) but weren't that good in it, would you get a rec from that prof? that's my dilemma ... well-known prof has agreed to write me a rec if i want, but says it would not be that great since i was not a top student in the class.

however, i have few other options because I've been out of school a long time. I'm applying to a MS Stats program so the standards are not quite as high as math/physics ... but i don't want to shoot myself in the foot. is a meh-diocre rec from a well-known prof better than no recs from any profs? (i would get work colleagues instead.)
 
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Why do you think a "crappy" rec will do you much good?

Second, unless you work with people who have gone to grad school themselves, why do you think their letters will do you much good?
 
I am no expert in this, so take this with a grain of salt. As far as I know (and heard from people around me) a letter saying - "Mr. X got an A in my Topology class" - won't help you with admissions that much, no matter who wrote it.

True, recommendation letters from popular people will sound good, but, all countries don't have popular people and superstar researchers, so the adcoms will only see what your recommender says and whether he is a practicing researcher, if so, then it could make wonders!
 
Based on what you've written, it sounds to me like you're better off exploring other options. Generally, when I read reference letters I don't put so much weight on the repuation of the referee as I do on whether or not the referee is in a position to evaluate the potential of the student for graduate school. Letters from people whom you did your undergraduate thesis project for, or worked for (volunteer or otherwise), supervised you as a TA, carry more weight than letters from someone whom you've taken a single class from.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
Why do you think a "crappy" rec will do you much good?

Second, unless you work with people who have gone to grad school themselves, why do you think their letters will do you much good?

i don't, but my options for recs are extremely limited - it's my main weakness. i graduated UG 6 yrs ago and did not cultivate the relationships needed for strong recs as i had zero interest in grad school at the time. so I'm trying to choose the best among bad options

Choppy said:
Based on what you've written, it sounds to me like you're better off exploring other options. Generally, when I read reference letters I don't put so much weight on the repuation of the referee as I do on whether or not the referee is in a position to evaluate the potential of the student for graduate school. Letters from people whom you did your undergraduate thesis project for, or worked for (volunteer or otherwise), supervised you as a TA, carry more weight than letters from someone whom you've taken a single class from.

so would you go with the non-academic colleagues instead of the mediocre professor rec?
 
What kind of work do your colleagues do? You are applying to a MS Stats program, so if, say, they were statisticians they would probably be good people to ask for recs. If they are, say, human resources professionals, I doubt their recs would help and you might be better off using the one from the professor. If your colleagues are, say, engineers, maybe you should talk to them, ask if they would be comfortable writing a rec, maybe they would be able to write something positive about your technical abilities, perseverance, technical initiative, etc. which would be relevant to grad school. I am applying to engineering grad school (MSEE) and am planning to use recs from other engineers at my job. I am lucky because I actually work in exactly the field I want to go to grad school in. I don't know if this is your situation, though. My rec options are kind of limited too, but I figure it's worth a shot. The worst that can happen is I won't get into grad school, but I don't stand a chance of getting in if I don't even try to apply.
 
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