Recommendation Letters

[Penguick]

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So this isn't exactly new-thread-worthy question material, but I wanted to get some advice from the people on this forum.

I was just wondering what is your stance on getting recommendation letters from science professors? Should they be able to come from a lower level science professor, such as organic chemistry, or do you think they would probably have more weight in an upper level course where you just recently had that professor? Does the difference in division level matter, since really organic is considered one of the harder classes that you take in college?

I'm asking this because I have a tiny decision-dilemma. I am going to be moving onto organic II next semester and was wondering if I wanted to take the same professor I had in organic I or change to another professor. The one professor I had is despised by all and has hard tests, but the other one is easier and teaches well apparently. Plus the better professor also has a period that fits my schedule btter.

The difficulty in deciding between the two of them comes from thinking that the orgo. professor I did have might be good to have as a recommendation letter and I could possibly learn more from him as I'm used to his teaching style now. At the beginning of his class I struggled a lot, but then ended up with a B+ (not the grade I'd like, but much better than a C/D possibility from doing badly the first test). I emailed him and thanked him for teaching me a valuable lesson about hard work and effort and he responded with a very nice email.

He actually knows who I am and my name/face, which I find to be impressive. Especially, since he has around 300 students. So do you think I should stay with him because of these qualities? or do you think I should go with the potentially better professor, because a recommendation letter from an organic professor, who wouldn't be writing it until a year later, would be a good choice?

Thanks for the help and I'm really sorry about the long post that seems to just ramble.

 

[mac921]

First of all, you should stop worrying about these nit picky details. The most important recommendation letters come from your research mentors. In fact, I think it would be fine if you didn't even have any letters from professors that taught you. I personally think you should go with the person that will make your life easier and where you will learn more. You should focus in on doing well and enjoying your research. Your intelligence, work ethic, and potential to be a scientist is best highlighted by your lab experience not your courses. Get one good recommendation letter from a professor that taught you whether in an upper level class or ochem, but that is not necessarily where your phenomenal letters should come from. In the end, that is not the letter that will matter.

 

[thos]

I would only ask for a letter from a "classroom" professor as a last option. Mac921 is right that you need letters from research professors or people with whom you worked more closely. A prof from an undergrad course really knows you about as well as the grade you earned. The interaction is really one-sided, that is he/she did the talking and you did the listening. Now, if there was more to it than that, for instance you sat and discussed the topic for hours at a time, that might be different, but in reality they'd look at the grade you earned and write a generic letter based on that. So the advice, again as mac921 says, go with the course that gives the best combination of potential to learn and least headache. Besides, I wouldn't try to predict what kind of letter someone "despised by all" might put together. Good luck.

 

[Penguick]

Thanks for the advice. I know I have a tendency to over worry about these things, which obviously don't matter that much. I think I know what to do now 🙂.

 

[PBandJ]

i got one letter from a straight science professor only because my school requires one in order for them to write me a committe letter. however, all my other letters came from my research advisors, and i'm sure those letters are MUCH stronger than the one from the science prof, even though i knew him well outside the classroom.