Admissions How good do recommendation letters for Master's programs have to be?

[chadphysics]

Math major. You know math classes: lectures, problem sets, tests. If you interact with the prof., it's normally just in office hours unless you do research with them.

I'm looking to get into master's programs. I have excellent grades, but I'm worried about rec letters since I never really got to know my professors on a really personal level. If I asked any of them for letters, they would probably say some run of the mill stuff about my being a good student and speak generally about my performance in the major.

I'm wondering if this is going to be a problem. In other words, will positive but not detailed/remarkable letters hurt me for mid-ranked master's admissions (all other factors held constant)? I know that rec letters should be much more detailed and speak of research potential for PhD programs. However, my plan is to apply to Master's programs to get research experience and better letters which I would then use for PhD programs.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I'm not sure what we can say. It would be better if your letters were better, and it is better than if your letters were worse.