From Tony C:
anonymous
January 8 2008, 14:08:33 UTC
The prestige of the people writing your graduate school recommendations DOES NOT MATTER, I tell you this from sad experience. Select the professors that are IN your graduate field and love you the most, period. I got recommendations from three department heads; two from whom I had taken a single class. My third came from a sociology professor I had three classes with, and he thought I was fantastic, but my field was mathematics.
I did get accepted at A&M, but in my interview the department chair asked me why in the world I would include a recommendation from a sociologist. Couldn't I find a mathematician willing to endorse me?
That led to a conversation about my other letters, and he said they were boring and standard, they read like professors that didn't know me very well. He's a hard worker, he is dedicated, etc. According to this particular department chair, he said he'd rather see a letter from a new assistant professor that was enthusiastic than a letter from a professor in a prestigious position.
He went on to say that the primary reason he chose me over others was that my electives included two graduate level courses in mathematics, and he wants students that love math, not students that only do whatever is in the curriculum. So stick with the honors thesis.
As for your advisor, I got the best advisor on the planet (Dr. W) on my second try. At the time he thought I was being advised by a different professor, Dr. K. But I wasn't really, Dr.K already had six grad students, and after a class with him had asked me to think about joining his team. But he never had time to talk to me about any ideas, and when I asked Dr. W for some advice on my schedule, he did research and found the right answers; when I asked him for advice on dealing with Dr. K, he gave it. But I ignored that advice, dumped K and signed on with Dr. W instead, and have not regretted it for a moment. I'm not sure how that translates into advice, but in general go with the professor that is interested in you and has the inclination to discuss your ideas with you.
I did get accepted at A&M, but in my interview the department chair asked me why in the world I would include a recommendation from a sociologist. Couldn't I find a mathematician willing to endorse me?
That led to a conversation about my other letters, and he said they were boring and standard, they read like professors that didn't know me very well. He's a hard worker, he is dedicated, etc. According to this particular department chair, he said he'd rather see a letter from a new assistant professor that was enthusiastic than a letter from a professor in a prestigious position.
He went on to say that the primary reason he chose me over others was that my electives included two graduate level courses in mathematics, and he wants students that love math, not students that only do whatever is in the curriculum. So stick with the honors thesis.
As for your advisor, I got the best advisor on the planet (Dr. W) on my second try. At the time he thought I was being advised by a different professor, Dr. K. But I wasn't really, Dr.K already had six grad students, and after a class with him had asked me to think about joining his team. But he never had time to talk to me about any ideas, and when I asked Dr. W for some advice on my schedule, he did research and found the right answers; when I asked him for advice on dealing with Dr. K, he gave it. But I ignored that advice, dumped K and signed on with Dr. W instead, and have not regretted it for a moment. I'm not sure how that translates into advice, but in general go with the professor that is interested in you and has the inclination to discuss your ideas with you.
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