Advice: Get a LOR from a B-graded class?

[dentwannabe]

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Hey guys, I've been watching this great board for months now.. I had a question..

Do you think I should get a letter of rec. from this professor in whose class I got a B? The class was genetics. The thing is, I kinda know the professor. But on the bad side, I got a B. I've heard normally people should get LORs from A-graded classes.

Thanks.

 

[Sprgrover]

Hey guys, I've been watching this great board for months now.. I had a question..

Do you think I should get a letter of rec. from this professor in whose class I got a B? The class was genetics. The thing is, I kinda know the professor. But on the bad side, I got a B. I've heard normally people should get LORs from A-graded classes.

Thanks.

Welcome to SDN! A LOR is not a confirmation of a grade but rather a written testament about a candidate's character, ability to handle the rigors of academic studies, work ethic, and likelihood for success in a graduate program per the perspective of a professional individual. I feel it is far more important to obtain a LOR from a professor that you know well and (hopefully) will write from a more personalized and earnest point of view than someone you don't know and merely received an 'A' in his/her class. And I doubt any adcom would discount a LOR from someone you received a 'B' in versus an 'A'. If you feel that this particular professor would write a good LOR then by all means utilize him/her! Best of luck! 👍

 

[crazy8]

ditto - especially since you know them well.

Ask them what they think. They will be honest and say they will write you a great one, etc... This is important because I know professors, no matter how great they are, despite your relationship, etc...will weight their letters (A students recieivng the best, etc..)

 

[dentwannabe]

ok guys, thanks a lot. 👍

 

[v&andy_yankee]

two of my LORs were from classes where i got B's in (B+'s technically). to be fair, they were hard-assed engineering classes so i had to workwork for my grade. and even though the grade wasn't an A, it was still considered a good grade (as the class averages are at C/C+) and i was a strong participant in the class.

if you're contributing a lot to class discussions or if the teacher knows you well, definitely ask them for the LOR rather than get a LOR from a class size of 200 for general chemistry where you got an A but the teacher has no idea who you are.