Should I ask a recommendation letter from a professor from a low rank university (lower than 1000 world rank)?Answered
Hi, I’m a junior in Japan, and I would like to ask for any opinions about rec letters from a professor in a non-prestigious university. Whenever I see people say students should ask for rec letters from professors in addition to the ones from their high school, I feel like they often refer to rec letters from professors in Yale, Harvard, etc.
I have a professor who I’m currently working with on a research, but he teaches in a rather low ranked uni in Korea. Should I still ask for a rec letter?
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2 answers
I don't think it generally matters who you get your recommendation from. Plus I'd say any recommendation letter should be from someone you're close to so they know you personally and put in a good word. Often times higher rank versus lower rank doesn't hold weight depending on where you're sending it so I would definitely still ask
Hi, thank you for asking your question. We recommend that letters of recommendations come from people who you think know you best and contributed to your academic education and extracurricular success. If you have a research mentor who can share your intellect, curiosity and passion about your research, then I would absolutely ask them to write you a letter of recommendation. Prestige does matter at some level, but a genuine and well-written letter from someone who knows you really well, will alway win out.
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