So obviously when getting a professor to write you a letter of recommendation you want them to say good things about you and your research. But my question is, does it matter what kind of impact that professor has made on the field?
I recently requested for one of my professors to write me a letter of recommendation and he has left a huge mark on his industry. He is currently a fellow emeritus at a Dow and has been the editor of a multitude of major books in his field.
Does this make a significant difference in how admissions committee views the applicant, or is are the writers credentials ignored in favor of the letters content?
Thanks
The writer’s credentials matter.
>> Letter of Recommendation: Does the Writer Matter?
Of course it does.
One of the LoRs for my D was from a well-known professor. Among the acceptance offers, two came from former advisees of the professor who wrote the LoR. I’m pretty sure this was not coincidental.
It matters. But your LOR writer’s relationships at universities you are applying to can have an equally large impact, and having 3 strong letters (vs one great and 2 so so ones) for programs that require 3 helps as well. So it isn’t all that matters.
Yes, of course it does. It’s assumed that a professor who is well-regarded within their field for doing excellent work knows what it takes to succeed and do that excellent work, and their recommendation for a budding scholar is valued as a high-quality commentary on that scholar’s potential. (Whether it’s true or not is irrelevant; this is what people believe.)
However, it is also possible for someone to have left a huge mark on their industry and still not be well-known among academics. You say that your professor is a fellow emeritus at Dow - depending on your field and the research he’s done, that may not be as easily recognizable as being a professor emeritus at Harvard or Berkeley. Editing a lot of books is great in some fields and not really impressive in others. (In my field, psychology, books are what you do when you’re already established. Papers are what gets you the recognition. Psychology textbook or volume authors are no more recognizable than any other random psychologist.)
Also, of course the content is more important. An enthusiastic letter from an unknown professor is better than a lukewarm letter from a famous one.