So I just graduated and wondering whom to ask to recommend me.
A. A professor that knows me well, appreciate my talent, but I didn't actually do very well in her studio - I got B in the end.
B. A critic that teaches at my school part-time, who does not have as strong a CV as the professor in Option A, but knows my work well, like me a lot and gave me A-.
Any suggestions?
shellarchitect
Jun 20, 15 12:31 am
You can't ask both?
SpontaneousCombustion
Jun 20, 15 11:31 am
Recommend you for what?
If for a job, academic recommendations aren't worth much, and the recommenders' titles and relative seniority aren't meaningful unless the person doing the hiring is familiar with those individuals or attended the same program. For hiring purposes I'd go with the one who knows you better and has a better opinion of your work.
If these are recommendations for applying to grad school or some other academic purpose then asking both would be preferable. If that's not possible then weigh these factors:
1. Name recognition: is either of them widely known, or have they taught at or attended the program to which you're applying?
2. What are they going to write? The critic who knows you better and likes your work better is certainly the better bet for providing a more glowing and in-depth perspective. But you may be able to write an outline or draft of what you'd like the recommendation to touch on "to refresh their memory" - and then either one could be as strong.
3. Credibility: if neither of these people has any name recognition, it isn't likely that anybody's actually going to take the time to google them up and check out their CV, but their title/position may factor into the impression.
So I just graduated and wondering whom to ask to recommend me.
A. A professor that knows me well, appreciate my talent, but I didn't actually do very well in her studio - I got B in the end.
B. A critic that teaches at my school part-time, who does not have as strong a CV as the professor in Option A, but knows my work well, like me a lot and gave me A-.
Any suggestions?
You can't ask both?
Recommend you for what?
If for a job, academic recommendations aren't worth much, and the recommenders' titles and relative seniority aren't meaningful unless the person doing the hiring is familiar with those individuals or attended the same program. For hiring purposes I'd go with the one who knows you better and has a better opinion of your work.
If these are recommendations for applying to grad school or some other academic purpose then asking both would be preferable. If that's not possible then weigh these factors:
1. Name recognition: is either of them widely known, or have they taught at or attended the program to which you're applying?
2. What are they going to write? The critic who knows you better and likes your work better is certainly the better bet for providing a more glowing and in-depth perspective. But you may be able to write an outline or draft of what you'd like the recommendation to touch on "to refresh their memory" - and then either one could be as strong.
3. Credibility: if neither of these people has any name recognition, it isn't likely that anybody's actually going to take the time to google them up and check out their CV, but their title/position may factor into the impression.