Letter of recommendation - professor or post doc?

[ShadyLane]

Hey everyone!

I'm starting to ask for letters of recommendation for next cycle (I know, early, but I'm graduating in December) and am stumped on what to do with one professor. I want my bio professor whom I've taken two classes with to write one of my science LORs. The thing is, he's also my PI since I work in his lab, but I work more closely with one of his post docs. I feel like a letter from the post doc would be stronger, but once again, this is for my science LOR. So would it be best to still have my professor-PI write my science LOR and ask the post doc to write me a separate research letter? To make things more complicated, my professor and post doc co-taught one of the classes I took...so does the post doc then count as science faculty? Help

Thanks!

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[ProudMD]

Hey everyone!

I'm starting to ask for letters of recommendation for next cycle (I know, early, but I'm graduating in December) and am stumped on what to do with one professor. I want my bio professor whom I've taken two classes with to write one of my science LORs. The thing is, he's also my PI since I work in his lab, but I work more closely with one of his post docs. I feel like a letter from the post doc would be stronger, but once again, this is for my science LOR. So would it be best to still have my professor-PI write my science LOR and ask the post doc to write me a separate research letter? To make things more complicated, my professor and post doc co-taught one of the classes I took...so does the post doc then count as science faculty? Help

Thanks!

This is a valid option.

However, I would just have your professor write you a very strong LOR that also includes your involvement in lab. The professor can ask the post-doc for more information regarding your performance in lab and include the information in his letter. But if you are trying to satisfy the science LOR requirement, you definitely want your professor to write the letter.

 

[ProbablyAPenguin]

Hey everyone!

I'm starting to ask for letters of recommendation for next cycle (I know, early, but I'm graduating in December) and am stumped on what to do with one professor. I want my bio professor whom I've taken two classes with to write one of my science LORs. The thing is, he's also my PI since I work in his lab, but I work more closely with one of his post docs. I feel like a letter from the post doc would be stronger, but once again, this is for my science LOR. So would it be best to still have my professor-PI write my science LOR and ask the post doc to write me a separate research letter? To make things more complicated, my professor and post doc co-taught one of the classes I took...so does the post doc then count as science faculty? Help

Thanks!

From my experience, when asking a PI to write a letter of rec, they have had my grad student/post doc write a rough draft of the letter which they then approve, modify, and sign. So it's effectively letter from both of them. In this way, asking for a letter from the PI and the post doc might be redundant when you could get a wider variety of letters. Not sure if this is how your PI operates though!

 

[ShadyLane]

Thank you both of you! I think I will go ahead and ask the professor and see if he would like to ask the post doc for additional info about me.

 

[Osteoth]

From my experience, when asking a PI to write a letter of rec, they have had my grad student/post doc write a rough draft of the letter which they then approve, modify, and sign. So it's effectively letter from both of them. In this way, asking for a letter from the PI and the post doc might be redundant when you could get a wider variety of letters. Not sure if this is how your PI operates though!

Had the same situation, except my TA wrote the letter and my prof turned it into interfolio so it "came" from him.

 

[ShadyLane]

Had the same situation, except my TA wrote the letter and my prof turned it into interfolio so it "came" from him.

I talked to everyone - the post doc is going to write a draft and my professor will edit and turn into Interfolio, so it's looking like what everyone suggested.