Hey guys I just applied to a top 25 ranked private university for transfer admissions, and I was able to get a professor at the school to write a rec letter for me (someone that I talked to and am interested in doing research with).
How much will something like that mean in admissions? Is it more like legacy status or something that will give the applicant a slight edge over another similar candidate? Or is it something that holds more significant weight?
Nothing. He will write that you seem like a motivated student. The school is looking for recs from people who Know you and your work.
Arent LOR’s required for transfer applications anyway?
agree with ErinsDad. It wont mean anything.
Your HS record, SAT scores, College Grades, college classes taken, are what matters.
And if you applied to that college as a senior and were rejected, then it will be a waste of time to try applying again after only 1/2 year in college.
Yea recs from your college professors are required. They accept faculty recommendations as a separate thing.
If you just talked to the professor and have not done any significant work with him/her then the recommendation won’t carry much weight at all.
What if the professor mentions specifically wanting to work with you. Does that matter as opposed to some generic letter about the student being good?
Does the professor personally know you ? From having met or worked with you?
If not, then a letter from him will be of little value.
Profs have a lot more pull with admissions when you are applying to grad school. With undergrad admissions they have little pull.
I met the professor in person and talked with him, since he was on my campus and is an alum of my current school (for graduate school and a different academic program).
It cant hurt, but may not help.
IMO still no. He has spoken to you. He doesn’t know you personally nor your work.
@“Erin’s Dad” @menloparkmom @happy1
FYI, I just talked to a prior Penn admissions officer, and they said it holds a decent amount of weight (comparable or better than legacy status during freshman admissions). Penn cares about their faculty’s opinions, and faculty can influence admissions a decent amount if they choose to do so. It’s similar to getting a referral in a company - often a quite powerful way to get noticed and sway recruiters towards giving you an interview. Opinions of influential people at the school are taken into consideration.
In the end it is all conjecture at this point. A lot of it depends on how well the professor knows you, if he/she actually wrote a letter, and if so what was written in the letter. The professor’s letter could range from something like “We had an in depth conversation about my research, I am blown away by her achievements and knowledge, and if accepted I will immediately take her into my lab as a researcher” to “we spoke and she expressed interest in working in my lab.” It will also depend on if/how the particular school values these types of letters. In the end your chance of acceptance will boil down to your qualifications, if the college feels you would be a good fit, and they feel you can add to campus life. Any top 25 school will have a plethora of extremely well-qualified applicants. Good luck.
agreed, it’s too arbitrary to make any assumptions.