Letter of Rec - lower grade okay? Forum

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Letter of Rec - lower grade okay?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Jun 25, 2017 7:25 pm

I'm trying to decide which professors to ask for letters of rec. I have my first two figured out and am trying to figure out the last two one, but am unsure how much a difference in grade matters here. Is that more important than a professor who has interacted with me?

The first professor I've had multiple (maybe 4-5) conversations with about the subject he taught, as well as another he specializes in. His grade ended up being my lowest spring semester (A-).

The other I went to office hours once and went up after class to ask a question once. I did speak quite a bit the last couple weeks of class, though. I receive an A in his class.

Thoughts? Thanks!

ETA #
Last edited by Anonymous User on Sun Jun 25, 2017 7:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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rpupkin

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Re: Letter of Rec - lower grade okay?

Post by rpupkin » Sun Jun 25, 2017 7:30 pm

Why are you getting four letters of recommendation? Are you applying to a judge who specifically asks for four?

As for which professor to get a rec from, I would go with the one who seems most enthusiastic about writing you a letter of recommendation. The difference between A and A- doesn't really matter. (If we were talking about a B-, that would be a different story.)
Last edited by rpupkin on Sun Jun 25, 2017 7:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Letter of Rec - lower grade okay?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Jun 25, 2017 7:36 pm

rpupkin wrote:Why are you getting four letters of recommendation? Are you applying to a judge who specifically asks for four?

As for which professor to get a rec from, I would go with the one who seems most enthusiastic about writing you a letter of recommendation. The difference between A and A- doesn't really matter. (If we were talking about a B-, that might would be a different story.)
Oops. I meant my last one. Great, thanks!
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Barrred

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Re: Letter of Rec - lower grade okay?

Post by Barrred » Mon Jun 26, 2017 4:04 pm

When I was reviewing applications and reading recommendations, I noticed that it was usually a mistake to ask professors who didn't give you an A for a letter of rec, as they nearly always caveated their recommendations by noting the relatively poor exam performance, and weren't as enthusiastic in their recommendations even when it was clear that they genuinely liked the candidate. I noticed this most often in applicants who got a B/B+ in the recommender's class though. An A- in a large/hard class may not make the recommender appreciably less enthuisiastic.
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