<p>I am applying to Stanford and MIT for grad school and am wondering how they would view two professor recommendations and one high school teacher recommendation vs. three professor recommendations?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Oh and on all applications it asks if I would like to waive the right to view my recommendation, not that I care too much for viewing them, but why should I waive my rights to do so?</p>
<p>Because a lot of teacher may not be as honest if they know you are going to read the recommendation. As far as the high school teacher, if you are using it as a personal recommendation and you still keep in touch with that teacher, that is fine. If you are using it as an academic rec. I would say no - try to find another college instructor.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. MIT states " remember that our Admissions Committee wants to know about your ability to do independent research. Character references do not carry weight.". The thing is I don’t know my professors that well and think that my high school teacher would be much more capable of giving an honest recommendation of my abilities…</p>
<p>To be frank, a grad school admissions reader will look on this dimly. Why isn’t this college student known by professors?</p>
<p>I think you need to omit the HS rec writer as that work is practically irrelevant to what a grad program would require of you – especially ones as competitive as Stanford and MIT. Basically you’re saying that your demonstrated research work was stronger when you were 17 than when you were 22. Think how that looks to a program like MIT or Stanford.</p>
<p>Hopefully, you’re also working on a broader list of target schools.</p>
<p>Absolutely not.</p>
<p>Switzerland,</p>
<p>As an international candidate applying to graduate schools in the US, the best advice to be found for your situation here at CC would be in the Graduate Student Forum and the International Student Forum. However, the faculty at your current university are the real experts on what will get a student from that university admitted at the graduate programs on your list. You need to sit down with some of them, and ask about graduate school placement. They will know if you have the profile that is likely to lead to admission at the universities that you are interested in. If you don’t want to talk with them just yet, make an appointment with the counselors at the office of EducationUSA in Bern [EducationUSA</a> - Center Profile - Public Affairs Office, Bern](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/USEmbassyBern]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/USEmbassyBern) They are expert at helping Swiss applicants navigate the US admissions process.</p>
<p>Do not ask a hs teacher, even if the person knows you well and is just as smart as your professors. The letter will not be taken seriously by the admissions committee, and you will look foolish.</p>
<p>Also, waive your right to see the letters. Otherwise you will look as if you lack confidence in your recommenders. Don’t fret–almost all letters are very positive, and the letters in any case aren’t the most important part of the application.</p>
<p>Something that didn’t occur to me when I was an applicant: all professors are not created equal. The profs who write for you should, ideally, know you and your work well. If there are a number of these people, pick the most senior, most professionally established among them. They are well-known among their peers nationwide, who will in turn be those who are staffing graduate admissions departments. Unlike undergraduate admissions, graduate admissions are done by faculty in the department you’re applying to.</p>
<p>When I applied to graduate school, I asked two young faculty with whom I’d taken multiple small seminars, and who were enthusiastic about my work. I needed a third letter, so I approached an old guy who–although he’d had no personal interaction with me–very much liked the paper I’d written in his large lecture class. The old guy, before writing the letter, met with me in his office for maybe 10 minutes and asked me a few questions. When I got to grad school, I learned that everybody considered me the close protegee of Old Guy. He was very famous in his field, unbeknownst to me, and had written a warm letter on my behalf; the letters of the two young unknowns just didn’t register with the admissions committee. </p>
<p>Young faculty can, however, make very effective recommenders if they’ve just done their graduate degrees at the department to which you’re applying, because they know exactly what the program entails and how you stack up against current students.</p>
<p>Hey guys, thanks a bunch for the replies, really helped to clear things up! I’m sure I can find an third professor. As for the (indirect) question “Why isn’t this college student known by professors?” - In Switzerland we only have large lectures and there is no student - prof. interaction, unless you specifically go find him in his office…</p>
<p>Post future related grad school questions in the grad school forum. Also, I agree that a recco from a HS teacher is bizarre and will not be helpful to your application.</p>
<p>"In Switzerland we only have large lectures and there is no student - prof. interaction, unless you specifically go find him in his office… "</p>
<p>But since MIT/Stanford expressly needs evidence of your research skills, how then will you be able to provide this? Have you not done any critical research to date?</p>
<p>I do know one professor because of research, but not three.</p>
<p>Even the professors that you haven’t done research with know how to write letters of recommendation to grad schools. Start with your research professor. Ask his/her advice about the other possible letter writers, then go talk to them in person. This really, truly, is not as difficult a task as you think it is.</p>
<p>I know a guy that published several papers together with his former high school math teacher. If you didn’t happen to have done that, then you probably should not do it. Ask your research professor, or some other professor you know has been to a us grad school for some advice what to do. </p>
<p>Otherwise, I was in the same situation a year ago, so if you have any Switzerland specific questions about US grad school, feel free to contact me per PM. :)</p>
<p>Don’t worry about making strong relationships with your Swiss professors. One of my roommates was from Austria and she had to write, pretty much, all of the LORs herself with her professors signing them off. For int’l apps, your own achievements will be scrutinized more carefully than your LORs. It’s a common understanding the US that the European system is much different and professors will evaluate accordingly.</p>
<p>Still, don’t use your HS teachers.</p>