Writing recommendation letters

[spaghetti3451]

Do professors always wish to write recommendation letters for bright students they personally know very well?

Is it quite often done to build up a good profile of the professor in the admissions committee of the university the student applies to?

 

[HallsofIvy]

Professors will typically be happy to write letters of recommendation for a student they think will do well at a given university- it is a standard part of the job. I don't understand what you mean by "build up a good profile of the professor in the admissions committee". I can't imagine why a professor would worry about such a thing.

 

[spaghetti3451]

I don't know either, but I've seen professors expressing desire to write letters of recommendations for some of my extremely bright classmates?

 

[DrClaude]

I don't know either, but I've seen professors expressing desire to write letters of recommendations for some of my extremely bright classmates?

I have done that a few times. I think it is a way of encouraging students to continue with their studies and letting them know they can go far. Students can also be shy and feel uncomfortable with the idea of soliciting a letter of recommendation, so it is a way to let them know that I will gladly do it should they need one.

 

[spaghetti3451]

I have done that a few times. I think it is a way of encouraging students to continue with their studies and letting them know they can go far. Students can also be shy and feel uncomfortable with the idea of soliciting a letter of recommendation, so it is a way to let them know that I will gladly do it should they need one.

Isn't writing recommendation letters a totally selfless act? All the professor gets is perhaps a thank-you note from the student.

 

[HallsofIvy]

And seldom that!

 

[Orodruin]

Isn't writing recommendation letters a totally selfless act? All the professor gets is perhaps a thank-you note from the student.

Yes, it is a way of giving back to the community what you once were offered by other professors. Professors have been students in need of recommendation letters too.

 

[spaghetti3451]

Is it true that recommendation letters of different professors are weighted differently in the eyes of the admissions committee?

Is a letter by a professor from a top-10 university in the world going to be valued in the same light as a letter by a professor from a top-500 university?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Is it true that recommendation letters of different professors are weighted differently in the eyes of the admissions committee?

Of course. How could it possibly be otherwise.

Is a letter by a professor from a top-10 university in the world going to be valued in the same light as a letter by a professor from a top-500 university?

Doesn't that depend on what the letter says?

 

[spaghetti3451]

Doesn't that depend on what the letter says?

Oh! So, you mean that the value of a letter comes from what the letter say, i.e. recommendation letter is a dialogue between experienced academics, so only an academic of sufficiently high caliber will be able to write a letter of value?

 

[Orodruin]

Oh! So, you mean that the value of a letter comes from what the letter say, i.e. recommendation letter is a dialogue between experienced academics, so only an academic of sufficiently high caliber will be able to write a letter of value?

Of course it depends on what the letter says. If it says "Do NOT hire!" your chances will be non-existing.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Oh! So, you mean that the value of a letter comes from what the letter say, i.e. recommendation letter is a dialogue between experienced academics, so only an academic of sufficiently high caliber will be able to write a letter of value?

Did I say "it depends on what they letter says" or did I say "it depends on who writes it"?

 

[spaghetti3451]

Did I say "it depends on what they letter says" or did I say "it depends on who writes it"?

You said 'it depends on what the letter says.'

 

[Vanadium 50]

And there's your answer.

 

[radium]

Having recommendations from well known people helps because the recommender likely knows people on the admissions committee which gives them more insight into the letter. For example, you may have a recommender who gives praise sparingly, so if people know this professor and they write a good letter it gives it extra weight.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Oh! So, you mean that the value of a letter comes from what the letter say, i.e. recommendation letter is a dialogue between experienced academics, so only an academic of sufficiently high caliber will be able to write a letter of value?

I don't know what Vanadium 50 meant, but when I write a letter for a student I try to include specifics- for example, a good letter will not just say "student X is in the top 10% of students", but include the justification for this ranking- "I had student X in 3 classes, student X worked in my lab for 2 semesters, I witnessed student X give scientific presentations to peers, ..." and I also like to enunciate specific qualities of student X that I think demonstrate fitness for grad school or a job- working independently (with examples), oral and written communication skills (with examples), etc. etc.