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Question: Is it considered rude/improper to ask a professor for a targeted LOR for a specific school as well as a general LOR?

I'm worried about my chances at a school and I think a targeted LOR would certainly help to a certain degree. The professor in general is one I've had the most interaction with over my career and I think he'd give a great LOR with substantial weight. However, I don't particularly want to choose between him writing the targeted or the general, especially if I choose targeted and still don't get in to the school in question.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Bashy wrote:Question: Is it considered rude/improper to ask a professor for a targeted LOR for a specific school as well as a general LOR?

I'm worried about my chances at a school and I think a targeted LOR would certainly help to a certain degree. The professor in general is one I've had the most interaction with over my career and I think he'd give a great LOR with substantial weight. However, I don't particularly want to choose between him writing the targeted or the general, especially if I choose targeted and still don't get in to the school in question.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I had two LORs from one person (a targeted and a general), but that writer was an alum of the targeted school, so she had very specific things to say about why I would be a good fit. I'd say if your prof has some sort of demonstrable connection to the targeted school, go ahead and ask for both, otherwise just get a general and try to find someone else with a connection.

Thanks for the advice. The professor in question has a daughter who went to the school, but I don't know if that's a serious enough connection for a targeted to make much difference.

Bashy wrote:Thanks for the advice. The professor in question has a daughter who went to the school, but I don't know if that's a serious enough connection for a targeted to make much difference.

That's a bit tenuous of a connection.

But, if you want the professor to write a targeted letter in addition to a general one, it's not rude to ask. Just make sure that s/he respects you based on your in-class conduct (and, hopefully, out-of-class relationship), and you show up prepared (with info about yourself such as personal statement/draft, best work in the prof's class, proper forms, and info about the programs at the targeted school that interest you).