LOR Question Forum

[10keveryday]

As a transfer student at my current institution, I have had little opportunity to build relationships with professors. I have acquired one enthusiastic letter of recommendation from a professor who I have taken multiple classes with, but am left without any other similar relationships. I went to request a letter from a professor who I took one class with, and he said that he would write a recommendation but that since he doesn't know me well it puts serious limitations on the strength of his letter.
I know acquiring two academic recommendations is typically suggested, so my question is, should I carry on with a weak recommendation from this professor, or acquire a more personal and potentially enthusiastic recommendation from my supervisor at a political campaign I worked on this summer?

[Troianii]

As a transfer student at my current institution, I have had little opportunity to build relationships with professors. I have acquired one enthusiastic letter of recommendation from a professor who I have taken multiple classes with, but am left without any other similar relationships. I went to request a letter from a professor who I took one class with, and he said that he would write a recommendation but that since he doesn't know me well it puts serious limitations on the strength of his letter.
I know acquiring two academic recommendations is typically suggested, so my question is, should I carry on with a weak recommendation from this professor, or acquire a more personal and potentially enthusiastic recommendation from my supervisor at a political campaign I worked on this summer?

imo - political campaign. You don't want a half-hearted recommendation, it's best to get a recommendation from someone who knows you well and actually likes you (I assume your supervisor likes you). As long as you have minimum 1 academic recommendation.

[ihenry]

I guess typically non-academic letters are for people who have been out of the school for years and thus lost contact with professors. Since it seems this is not your case, I think you can opt for the academic one. You may want to send your professor your resume and/or transcript or even schedule a short conversation so he could know you better. And you can always submit both actually.

[Abraham Lincoln Uni.]

It is suggested to obtain two academic letters of recommendation if one is a student or recent graduate. If you feel that the professor does not know you very well, you may also send a copy of your resume/CV, why you are interested in law school, and why you want that specific professor to write you a letter of recommendation. You may also offer to meet during office hours so he/she can get to know you better.

If, however, you still feel the letter from this particular professor would not be as strong as one from another individual, you may always ask for a letter from the supervisor you worked with this summer.