Asking Asian profs for LORs?

b_r_um
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:56:06 +0000

I’d be less concerned about the race of the professor and more about their cultural background. It’s a fact that people express their praise less enthusiastically in some countries. A letter written by a professor who grew up abroad may be intended as glowing praise but still sound lukewarm to an American audience. (Alas, asking if their letter would be “strong” or “positive” does not solve that problem…)

Of course that’s not universally true of all foreign professors, nor is it true that all American professors know how to compose a well-received letter. I have been operating under the assumption that the way professors talk about other students or colleagues in my presence is a good indicator of what “tone” letter I am likely to receive from them. I fared quite well with that approach.