Which supervisor do I ask for a rec letter?

[alt91119]

Here is the situation. I am currently a volunteer at a children's hospital where I work in child life - I help with distraction therapy for the kids who are hospitalized.

I started out moving between different wards for the first 7 months, but have now committed to one. I have been on this same ward all summer, and will remain here for two more school years and summers.

I have two supervisors who I work with on a regular basis on this ward. One has a masters and is a "child life specialist" - this person is essentially the "boss". The other supervisor is a "child life assistant" and only has a bachelors. However, I personally don't see much difference in their day-to-day job.

The supervisor who is only an "assistant" is much closer in age to me (in their 20s), and we have bonded quite a lot. This person sees me more, is super personable, we have common interests, and we're comfortable with each other to the point of even being able to joke about "work inappropriate" topics together. However, this individual is currently in grad school and will be leaving the hospital after approximately 1 more year to pursue a career in a different hospital in a different (but related) job.

The supervisor who is the "specialist" is a bit older, and so there is more of a generation gap. While this individual still definitely likes me quite a lot, they are generally more of a "closed off" and distant person who does' t interact with me quite as much. However, they will almost definitely be remaining at the hospital for the full 2+ years that I will be volunteering here.

This will be my clinical letter - my one which vouches for my ability to interact with patients compassionately, etc.

The question: which should I ask to write me a letter? One seems to "click" with me much better, but they will only see me for half of the time I spend in undergrad volunteering, are younger, and don't have as impressive of credentials. The other doesn't click with me quite as much, but still loves me and will be seeing me volunteering for twice as long, in addition to having done the job much longer and having better credentials.

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[kyamh]

Go with the older supervisor. In addition to the factors you mentioned, the older supervisor has likely had many more opportunities to write a letter of recommendation. Regardless of how much the grad student likes you, they may not write in the language that admissions is used to reading. Plus, you have a longer relationship with the older supervisor.

 

[alt91119]

Go with the older supervisor. In addition to the factors you mentioned, the older supervisor has likely had many more opportunities to write a letter of recommendation. Regardless of how much the grad student likes you, they may not write in the language that admissions is used to reading. Plus, you have a longer relationship with the older supervisor.

Is it necessarily a bad thing if the grad student doesn't write in the exact language admissions is used to? I'm just worried that the letter from the older supervisor will be more generic and bland, while the younger supervisor is an enthusiastic person who I feel would vouch more for my sociability. The younger individual has been working in the position for around 4 years now, so I'm sure they've already written at least a couple of letters. Additionally, remember, the younger supervisor does see me more when I am actually there.

 

[ndafife]

Have you thought about asking them to do a joint letter? Or have the grad student write it and have the older supervisor sign it? I (and a decent number of people I know) have done this with lab/research jobs where they spend more time with grad students on a day-to-day basis than the overall head of the lab

 

[alt91119]

Have you thought about asking them to do a joint letter? Or have the grad student write it and have the older supervisor sign it? I (and a decent number of people I know) have done this with lab/research jobs where they spend more time with grad students on a day-to-day basis than the overall head of the lab

So if it was a joint letter, would I just have the grad student write it using "we" in the writing, then have them both sign it at the bottom?

It definitely wouldn't go over well if I had the grad student write it FOR the older supervisor - they are not the type of person who would take kindly to that.

 

[ndafife]

From what I understood it was a "we" letter, it may have been a letter the grad student wrote/drafted for the supervisor - I didnt really dig too deep into it.

All you can do is ask. A joint letter ("we") is probably the best bet - you get the benefits of the writer who knows you best and the higher prestige from the other