Who is the best person to get a letter of rec from?

[krisrox]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I read through a lot of the letters of rec threads, but none of them seemed to address my situation.

I'm currently starting to think about my letters of rec for the fall. I know it's a bit early, but I want to know who I should start focusing on for my letters.

I know where 2 of my rec letters will come from already- my mentor for a senior honors thesis who is a PhD at my university, and the professor who I will have 2 years of research assistant experience with.

The third letter could come from 2 sources; either another another prof who I do research with, but who doesn't know me very well, or the head of my volunteer clinical job who knows me and loves me, but doesn't have a PhD. I'd definitely love to get a rec from the clinical one, but I'm not sure how much it matters that she doesn't have a PhD.

Any tips?

 

[apumic]

why not request letters from both? sometimes letters get lost anyway or someone drops the ball, so it's often a good idea to get an extra letter anyway and it's unlikely having 1 more letter than required would ever hurt you!

 

[TuTuPsychL]

I would go with the clinical one. It's another perspective of you as a person and it sounds like she can truly write a genuine letter of rec for you that speaks to who you are as a student, person, and future professional in the field.

I think you will benefit much more from that than a letter from a PhD who might write you a mediocre letter at best. Admission committees have seen all types of letters; they can tell who you have a relationship with and who you kinda-sorta do.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

The most weight comes from someone with a doctoral degree....with preference to academia and/or someone you have worked with. A non-doctoral person may be able to speak to other things, but a big part of the LOR is speaking to your ability to complete doctoral-level work.

 

[glasscandie]

I'm in your situation as well. I haven't done much research with profs at my school, but I have extensive research from Hopkins, so two of my letters will come from PhDs there I've worked on various projects with. However, I'm in limbo about my 3rd letter - I did a clinical internship, but my supervisor was an LCPC, though I did do research there (coordinated their evidence based practice programs, one of my senior theses is from there - currently under IRB review). But, I'm afraid it won't be weighted enough (A) b/c she's not a PhD and (B) b/c most of the programs I'm applying to aren't clinical, but are in behavioral neuroscience. I could ask the head of the department where I'm interning, but is that overkill to have 3 letters of rec from 1 place?

 

[krisrox]

Thanks for all your responses, everyone. I'm still unsure of what to do, however, because of the mixed responses. Looks like I'm still searching for options. I want to have balance in my recs- some research, some clinical- so good thing I'm doing this early and still have time to work on meeting a PhD through my clinical job. Hopefully that will work out.

 

[cara susanna]

glasscandie: I had my three letters all from the same dept at the same school. And that wasn't even Johns Hopkins. 😉

My third letter was from a prof I only had classes with (but I had more than one class with him), which isn't a good idea either, but I guess it worked well enough because I got interviews.

 

[glasscandie]

glasscandie: I had my three letters all from the same dept at the same school. And that wasn't even Johns Hopkins. 😉

My third letter was from a prof I only had classes with (but I had more than one class with him), which isn't a good idea either, but I guess it worked well enough because I got interviews.

I do know a prof who would write a letter, he supervised the research proposal writing for my 1st senior thesis (but not the research), but I worked with him only for one semester, and had him for social psych. for another semester, so I'm afraid the letter would only be mediocre, and wouldn't *really* be able to talk about research or abilities in grad. school - As opposed to have a letter from someone who's familiar with how I research, how I contribute to projects, etc. I'm wondering if it's necessary to have letters from profs, if grades are good? KWIM? My GPA is great, so wouldn't it be redundant to say "Courtney is an exceptional student" when my GPA basically says that already?

 

[FranklinR]

I do know a prof who would write a letter, he supervised the research proposal writing for my 1st senior thesis (but not the research), but I worked with him only for one semester, and had him for social psych. for another semester, so I'm afraid the letter would only be mediocre, and wouldn't *really* be able to talk about research or abilities in grad. school - As opposed to have a letter from someone who's familiar with how I research, how I contribute to projects, etc. I'm wondering if it's necessary to have letters from profs, if grades are good? KWIM? My GPA is great, so wouldn't it be redundant to say "Courtney is an exceptional student" when my GPA basically says that already?

Schools seem to really want someone to speak to your academic abilities. If in doubt, I would add another letter. Three is the recommended number, but 4 is fine, too.

 

[cardamom]

Schools seem to really want someone to speak to your academic abilities. If in doubt, I would add another letter. Three is the recommended number, but 4 is fine, too.

And to that effect, I have been told (by clinical psych profs) that it's important to include at least one person who has taught you in classes as well as people you've done research with, because schools also want to know you're an excellent student in the classroom. If you can pick someone who speaks to both, all the better, but don't overlook the classwork part.

 

[glasscandie]

OK, maybe I'll supplement with an additional letter from that social psych. prof then - I wasn't aware you could send in more than the asked for LOR. Good thing to know!

 

[shumshum81]

Just ask everyone. 4 is better than 3. In my experience most profs have a basic letter that they tweak slightly for each student so I wouldn't worry too much about how much that prof knows you.

 

[FranklinR]

Just ask everyone. 4 is better than 3. In my experience most profs have a basic letter that they tweak slightly for each student so I wouldn't worry too much about how much that prof knows you.

It may be true that most professors have a standard letter, but it definitely matters how much (or at least how long, or in how many different capacities) the professor knows you. A strong letter can be undone by a "I don't really know her very well, but she seems nice" comment.

 

[leavingprov]

Just wanted to chime in that I had 2 Ph.D. profs write me letters of rec and one supervisor at a job I had who didn't have her masters but I KNEW would write me a good letter. Not only did she write me a lengthy (i.e. 4 pages) letter, but she sat down and talked with me about my interests and academic goals. Got interviews at a number of schools. Anyway, Phd's aren't the only ones who can attest to your ability to do doctoral level work, though you certainly will be wanting at least 2 for Ph.D. programs. I would go with the clinical/non-ph.d. if you have to choose.

 

[krisrox]

Just wanted to chime in that I had 2 Ph.D. profs write me letters of rec and one supervisor at a job I had who didn't have her masters but I KNEW would write me a good letter. Not only did she write me a lengthy (i.e. 4 pages) letter, but she sat down and talked with me about my interests and academic goals. Got interviews at a number of schools. Anyway, Phd's aren't the only ones who can attest to your ability to do doctoral level work, though you certainly will be wanting at least 2 for Ph.D. programs. I would go with the clinical/non-ph.d. if you have to choose.

That's good to hear. That's the exact boat I'm in. I know PhD's letters are going to carry more weight, but I already have two, and one of them knows me in a classroom setting as well as a research setting. I'm not opposed to the idea of getting four, however. The vibes I'm getting from everyone are that it's not unheard of and actually very helpful to get four letters of rec. I'm going to consider that idea. Thanks everyone!

 

[FranklinR]

That's good to hear. That's the exact boat I'm in. I know PhD's letters are going to carry more weight, but I already have two, and one of them knows me in a classroom setting as well as a research setting. I'm not opposed to the idea of getting four, however. The vibes I'm getting from everyone are that it's not unheard of and actually very helpful to get four letters of rec. I'm going to consider that idea. Thanks everyone!

I am entirely sure that no admissions committee has ever said "Well, we were going to make an offer, but she submitted four letters, so..."

Assuming that they are good letters.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I am entirely sure that no admissions committee has ever said "Well, we were going to make an offer, but she submitted four letters, so..."

Assuming that they are good letters.

Always check though....since some people are very particular about having the applicants follow the directions.

 

[Prsstnt]

I had three very strong LORs. Only one of them was from a professor. The other two were from my Research position and my Clinical supervisor (one M.A and one LSW). It worked for me.
So I suppose the strength of the letters count too.

 

[FranklinR]

Always check though....since some people are very particular about having the applicants follow the directions.

It's a good point. I did ask at all programs to which I sent more than three letters, and all said sure, send 'em all.

It can't possibly be a good sign if a department is that rule bound.

But that's just me.

 

[krisrox]

Sooo a friend of mine came to me with a good question about LOR's that I thought I should post.

She is applying to psych master's programs and has two good rec letters: one from a PhD in a related non-psych discipline and one from her former undergrad thesis mentor. Her third letter can come from one of two people: her former supervisor in her clinical work and a former prof in a psych class.

The clinical supervisor can write her a great letter and knows her well. The prof can write her a good letter but doesn't know her well. The catch? The clinical supervisor recently got fired from her job. She can't put the rec letters on letterhead and can't say that her place of employment is where she supervised my friend.

Is it worth it to get a good letter from someone who got fired? Or is it better to get a good, not great, letter from someone solid?

 

[clinpsych]

The third letter could come from 2 sources; either another another prof who I do research with, but who doesn't know me very well, or the head of my volunteer clinical job who knows me and loves me, but doesn't have a PhD. I'd definitely love to get a rec from the clinical one, but I'm not sure how much it matters that she doesn't have a PhD.
Any tips?

Every year, I read letters from recommenders who clearly don’t “get” what the typical LOR for a clinical psych Ph.D. looks like. For example, letters that are scanty in their descriptions, less than effusive in their praise, or (gasp!) include references to the applicant’s weaknesses. This makes it hard to tease apart whether the letter reflects the applicant’s attributes, the writer’s familiarity with the applicant, or the letter writer’s lack of familiarity. In general, I’d say go with the recommender who knows you best, but I’d ask to see a copy of the letter before it’s submitted to make sure that it meets your needs. Also, if the letter writer can’t compare you (favorably, I assume) to other doctoral students or doctoral applicants, that could be a problem.

Her third letter can come from one of two people: her former supervisor in her clinical work and a former prof in a psych class.

The clinical supervisor can write her a great letter and knows her well. The prof can write her a good letter but doesn't know her well. The catch? The clinical supervisor recently got fired from her job. She can't put the rec letters on letterhead and can't say that her place of employment is where she supervised my friend.

The letter writer can say where she supervised your friend. The fact that she no longer works there is not a negative reflection on your friend. However, if the letter writer has a bad reputation in the field (known to potential advisors and admissions committee members), her high opinion of your friend won’t mean much. Also, if the letter appeared on paper without a letterhead (e.g., from the supervisor’s new workplace or her own professional letterhead) that might be a little weird.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Every year, I read letters from recommenders who clearly don’t “get” what the typical LOR for a clinical psych Ph.D. looks like. For example, letters that are scanty in their descriptions, less than effusive in their praise, or (gasp!) include references to the applicant’s weaknesses. This makes it hard to tease apart whether the letter reflects the applicant’s attributes, the writer’s familiarity with the applicant, or the letter writer’s lack of familiarity. In general, I’d say go with the recommender who knows you best, but I’d ask to see a copy of the letter before it’s submitted to make sure that it meets your needs. Also, if the letter writer can’t compare you (favorably, I assume) to other doctoral students or doctoral applicants, that could be a problem.

There may be some writers who would balk at the idea of allowing the recomendee to read the actual letter, so that request may not always be honored. However, at the least, you can usually ask the writer if they feel they'll be able to write a positive letter on your behalf. Most will be honest about this, even if they aren't comfortable with you reading the actual rec letter itself.

I personally don't see weaknesses being listed as a bad thing per se, but would definitely then also want the letter to go on and mention how the weaknesses have been addressed by the applicant.

 

[krisrox]

Your responses are pretty much what I figured. Something I didn't mention was that the clinical letter writer who doesn't have a job anymore isn't a PhD and I think the other one is. Also, my friend is only applying to an MS program so I dint know how big of a deal this was to a masters program compared to a PhD program (I'm currently in a doctorate program)

 

[krisrox]

I told my friend to go with the PhD who still has a job but didn't know her as well. Thanks for the help, everyone.