letters of rec from BS work with MS degree
I'm currently pursuing an MS with the intent to apply to PhD programs this fall. I intended to switch from MS to PhD at my current institution, but my advisor and I don't really get along well. There's a whole lot of history behind it, but I'll skip it to be concise (unless you all really want to know!). Plus, I have issues with the quality of the program at my current institution so I am looking to get into a higher ranked place.
I was thinking about going to my recommenders at my undergrad institution and asking them to submit letters of recommendation for me. I'm considering this option because (1) I'm applying to programs at my ugrad institution but not the same one I did my BS in, (2) I don't have three recommenders from my grad institute (my committee is literally my advisor plus two bodies to fill the committee slots), and (3) my advisor and I don't have a great relationship.
That being said, my advisor has indicated that he is very satisfied with my work, so he might write me a decent letter. I'm not really thrilled at the thought of asking him.
So my question is: do you all think it would look stupid to have an MS degree on an application with recs from BS work? Do you think the reviewers would seriously question why I didn't use my current advisor as a recommender, or would they overlook it if my other letters were good? The letters that got me into the MS program had to be decent enough! My field is engineering...
I was thinking about going to my recommenders at my undergrad institution and asking them to submit letters of recommendation for me. I'm considering this option because (1) I'm applying to programs at my ugrad institution but not the same one I did my BS in, (2) I don't have three recommenders from my grad institute (my committee is literally my advisor plus two bodies to fill the committee slots), and (3) my advisor and I don't have a great relationship.
That being said, my advisor has indicated that he is very satisfied with my work, so he might write me a decent letter. I'm not really thrilled at the thought of asking him.
So my question is: do you all think it would look stupid to have an MS degree on an application with recs from BS work? Do you think the reviewers would seriously question why I didn't use my current advisor as a recommender, or would they overlook it if my other letters were good? The letters that got me into the MS program had to be decent enough! My field is engineering...