Letter of Rec Question

[DoctorSnow]

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Question: Do adcoms care about the "credentials" behind letters of recommendation?

Background: I am a teaching assistant for my university and I initially was going to be working with the department chair (Dr. X) but with scheduling changes, I ended up working with (Mrs. Y). Although Mrs. Y has gotten to know me outside of class and knows me personally, I can't help but wonder if getting a letter of rec from her (Lab tech with masters in teaching) would pull the same weight compared to Dr. X, who also knows me from taking his classes and helping out around the labs.

Let me know what you guys think! Thanks in advance!

 

[Goro]

Question: Do adcoms care about the "credentials" behind letters of recommendation?

Background: I am a teaching assistant for my university and I initially was going to be working with the department chair (Dr. X) but with scheduling changes, I ended up working with (Mrs. Y). Although Mrs. Y has gotten to know me outside of class and knows me personally, I can't help but wonder if getting a letter of rec from her (Lab tech with masters in teaching) would pull the same weight compared to Dr. X, who also knows me from taking his classes and helping out around the labs.

Let me know what you guys think! Thanks in advance!

For me, not really. I've seen LORs from US Senators and Nobel Laureates. They failed to save marginal candidates.

Also, do not make the mistake of thinking that a writer is known to people outside his/her field.

Sometimes a LOR from one of our grads piques our interest in the person, but that's about it.

Get Ms Y to co-sign a LOR with Dr X, and you should be set.

 

[HomeSkool]

I agree with @Goro: adcoms won't necessarily be swayed by the prestige of others. If you have a letter-writer with a personal connection to this or that adcom -- someone's thesis advisor from back in the day, for example -- that might nudge things in your favor at a given school. But unless you manage to get a letter from Cushing, Halsted, Debakey, or someone of similar stature, adcoms probably won't care as much as you'd like them to.

 

[21Rush12]

Firstly, if that’s your real picture I recommend changing it for anonymity.

Goro would know, and I recall a conversation I had with an admissions dean about letters of recommendation that seems to be exactly what he said. Good content and an appropriate context of the letter (I.e. prof who taught you, person who supervised you in a professional setting, etc) are what’s important.

 

[DoctorSnow]

Firstly, if that’s your real picture I recommend changing it for anonymity.

Goro would know, and I recall a conversation I had with an admissions dean about letters of recommendation that seems to be exactly what he said. Good content and an appropriate context of the letter (I.e. prof who taught you, person who supervised you in a professional setting, etc) are what’s important.

You think I'm the King of the North from Game of Thrones?