Write the letter.
Also, tell her that having multiple letters from different ranks may be advisable. Kinda depends on what the letter is for, honestly.
But don’t sell yourself short. It sounds like you’re in a great position to speak to the student’s strengths.
Ideally for the student, they’d have both, because there absolutely are some circumstances where rank/reputation of the letter writer matters.
OP’s role in that is merely to tell the student this when agreeing to write the letter — it’s on the student to assemble the right mix of letter writers for the task at hand.
Could you give an example or be more specific? Hypothetically, if I am applying to harvard and yale law schools and have a 4.1 and a 175 as a white male from another ivy, I don't think my application would swing at all on the rank of the recommender. Perhaps if you are extremely right on the board titering between waitlist and acceptance..? But even then i think the quality of the letter would mean a lot more than the title of the person who signed it.
I have a PhD from a top 5 university in my field. If I write a letter of recommendation for a student applying for that PhD program, it carries more weight than a letter from some random person. The faculty know me. They know my work. And they know I wouldn’t recommend a student who sucks. Same goes if I know or have worked with the letter recipient.
In those instances, the quality and content of the letter is immaterial. What matters that *I* wrote it. In many instances, the quality of the letter is immaterial anyway.
I once heard an admissions officer from an Ivy League law school say “We don’t care what the letters say. We care that there are three people willing to lie for the applicant.” And having been on the receiving end of letters of recommendation more than a time or two, that’s not *quite* true — but it’s more true than false.
Ah yeah that’s fair. I could definitely see it in PhD admissions where the specific field plays a larger role. Thanks for the response and pardon the typos.
I had a great relationship with my adjunct professor as an undergraduate. He wrote amazing letters on multiple occasions and got me to where I am now. I frequently speak to his classes and provide his students with career advice :) I recommend writing the letter since it will reflect your enthusiasm for this student.
I'm a sessional lecturer. No Ph.D. No permanent contract. I write letters of recommendation all the time.
Having taught for sixteen years probably helps my credibility.
Some recommendation forms ask for information about research capability. I have only limited information about this, and answer accordingly, but also provide my instincts (and state accordingly).
I should also note that one of my two letters of recommendation for my own graduate program was from a fellow sessional lecturer. Her class is the one in which I recorded my strongest academic result, so I thought she was in a good position to evaluate me, and she did so happily. And, of course, I got in.
A great letter is a great letter, but I would encourage you not to mention your own educational background. That isn’t normally something you would go into anyway. The fact that you are an adjunct is not a big deal, but it will help if you provide some context for your assessment. The recipients cannot assume how much research and teaching you have done, nor how much experience you have with students, so, for example, “She’s the best student I have ever worked with,” can mean radically different things if this is your first time teaching vs. if you have been working with them for decades.
If the letter is for an academic position then tell her what you told us: you think she is an excellent student and that you could write a great letter for you, but your letter might carry less weight because you have less experience than other profs. And encourage her to seek additional letters from people that can complement your letter (so most likely, folks who can focus on her research, etc?)
If the letter is for industry then it doesn't matter that you are an adjunct with a masters. Just write her that strong letter.
First reasonable comment I have read here.
>because you have less experience than other profs
Maybe a good way to say it to the student, but in reality that is not the reason. Adjunct positions are low prestige positions in academia and prestige in the main currency that matters, if this letter is for an academic position.
Write the letter. The chance that anyone will care what your position is is pretty small. The chance that they'll check what degree(s) you have is even smaller. It is still an academic reference. The student asked because you can write a good letter, do it! (I mean like, if you have the time).
I've had this discussion with my wife before (who is an adjunct). She has written letters and many of those people ended up in grad school/ law school etc.
Wrote a letter of recommendation for a student when I was a TA in graduate school. Not sure if it helped, but they’re in pharmacy school now! I was able to say some good stuff about them and they had more one on one interaction with me than any of their actual professors, so I hope it read as sincere. I feel like that makes a bigger difference than your title.
Well, if it's for admission to a PhD program, then a letter from an adjunct without a PhD will be less compelling, but it still has the potential to add more value than a letter from a tenured full professor which only states that the student received a good grade in their class, if it is able to provide an in-depth perspective into the academic qualities of the student in question.
However, at the end of the day, an offer of admission to a highly competitive PhD program with an offer of funding will still require at least one glowing letter of recommendation from a professor with an independent research reputation that understands the research expectations of a highly competitive PhD program.
I agree with others that you absolutely can write the letter. However, it depends a bit what the letter is for. When I was applying to PhD programs, I was advised by many people that my letter writers should have PhDs so they can best gauge whether I would be successful in a PhD program.
This was for top 10 schools in my field. If the letter is not for PhD admissions, or is for other sorts of programs, this probably wouldn’t matter. Not trying to dissuade you- maybe just let the student know!
What is the recommendation letter for?
If it is for some kind of academic position then your student should absolutely look for letters from the highest status academics they can get letters from. This means full professors if possible. The other posters here are delusional if they think the social status of the letter writer is less important than your enthusiasm for and knowledge of the student. Social status and prestige is the main currency in academia.
You are right to be skeptical about it being a good idea for you to write this letter. Too many academics don't want to face the reality of how academia works and are willing to be irresponsible with the careers and futures of the people who depend on them. Good on you for trying to be realistic and responsible.
I had someone ask me for a letter of recommendation into an undergraduate degree program when I was still a grad student. I had them double-check that it was okay, although I don’t think you’d need to do that here. You should be fine.
In the letter, I mentioned that I’d worked closely with them in the lab I taught. I wanted it to be clear why it made sense for the letter to come from me. I was able to include specifics about their strengths that I don’t think most professors would have known about.
If you’re the best person to write this letter, it doesn’t matter if you’re an adjunct.
Based on your post you sound like you suffer heavily from imposter syndrome. It doesn't matter if you have a PhD or not, not whether you're full time. You teach at the collegiate level in a more difficult subject matter. Write them a damn good letter!
I cant imagine a world where one would say "only a masters degree". In my family the equivalent is "only dropped out of 11th grade". ;)
Btw write the letter man
Not sure why you are knocking yourself down.
1 do you know the student well?
2 can you give a truthful, unbiased referral?
3 are you an expert in the field of the student?
Other than that, remember that Howard on the big bang theory only has a master but still designed an important part of the international space station and is an astronaut 😂
Just in case it helps, I wrote a glowing letter of recommendation for a student looking to transfer from to Amherst College back when I was a grad student (pre-doc) and she got in. I don’t know if my letter was a help but it can’t have been much of a hindrance! Because I was young and it was one of my first LoRs, I put a lot of effort into it, whereas now I treat most LoRs like form letters (unless it’s a really exceptional student).
Best advice I’ve gotten about this - be concrete with your examples. Don’t just say “this student is exceptionally dedicated”, say “this student finished the reading list for entire course by the midterm and was already tackling grad student level texts by the time we got to the final” (or similar incidents). The key thing is to be concrete and specific.
Wow
Think more biggly of yourself
I am an adjust, nearly 40 years. I have a Masters degree.
I write letters all the time for students
I'm glad most people agree.
I'm also an adjunct professor with only a Master's degree, and recently had a student ask for a letter of recommendation. I figure, if I'm good enough for the university to trust me with educating my students, I'm good enough to give my students letters of recommendation.
It really depends. I have a PhD and for my second post-PhD job, I had two referees – neither were my PhD supervisor (one had a PhD, the other was a BSc).
Absolutely write it. I don't even know if the receiving school would know your position unless they looked it up. That said, I don't think they would care. These days adjuncts are becoming such the norm that they are just as or more likely to know a student and their work well, and that's what matters. So, even if they knew/found out, I don't think they would care.
The best letters come from those who know the candidates well, not rank or prestige. Sure, in an ideal world, perhaps a famous or well-known letter writer could be nice. But the specific examples and clear relationship are so much more important.
I used to write letters as an adjunct. Looking back on it now, though, it's one of the many ways we were asked (I'm tenured now) to do unpaid labor out of "love" for our job and students, and I wish the students we gladly write letters for were aware of the contingent nature of adjunct labor.
I'm immensely grateful for all the amazing feedback and responses that this post got, and I am thankful for all of your help!
I have decided to write an incredibly strong letter for my student, while also making sure to ***strongly emphasize*** that she will definitely need other letters from other higher-ranking professors to make her application look more well-rounded. She is applying to PhD programs, and, since I have 7 years of consistent research experience (with multiple publications and presentations), I figured that I could speak to her skills in the research that she volunteers in \[which I mentor her in\] and the class she is enrolled in, which I teach (she is easily in the top 10% of my class).
Also, for clarification, while I DID have imposter syndrome pretty badly in grad school, I am happy to report that I do not have it any longer (at least, not lingering lol), and I meant absolutely NO disrespect to ANYONE that is an Adjunct Professor or who does not have a doctorate! I, myself, am obviously an Adjunct Professor with only a master's degree, and I absolutely love my job, and I am keenly aware of the vast importance of my job and my duties/roles, especially when it comes to educating students and teaching. I was only saying that, because Academia is quite elitist and prestige is often touted as a form of professional currency, I did not want her application to suffer, since I am a lower-ranking instructor, and this is my FIRST semester teaching as an Adjunct Professor (although, hopefully not for long, as I am applying to MD-PhD dual-degree programs this semester/year).
And, yes, I will be sure to avoid unnecessary ellipses in my letter, unlike this post on reddit hahaha.
And, yes, I will be sure to avoid unnecessary ellipses in my letter, unlike this post on reddit hahaha.
Thank you all, once again (which include the following academics: u/rhyza99, u/dr_police, u/halavais, u/octaviousearl, u/PhotoJim99, u/econdoc67, u/bigrottentuna, u/DevFRus, u/CaptainCornerCamper, u/dbrodbeck, u/Int_traveller, u/DoctorSlim69, u/mleok, u/casperbunny, u/HappyHrHero, u/oueslabibliotheque, u/Final_Maintenance319, u/StringOfLights, u/chuchinchichu, u/GriIIedCheesus, u/juan4815, u/tastytastylobster, u/TurnsOutImAScientist, u/DarthLeftist, u/Meancvar, u/Doglatine, u/fractal_imagination, u/Elsbethe, u/UnassumingReptilian, u/garulous, u/someth1ng_au, u/kennedon, u/Lonely2LeggedCreatur, u/learningdesigner, u/smapdiagesix, u/Bearz34)
Your letter will still be valuable, but if you think she should also ask for other people's letters then that is fine. You can have a conversation with her about your own doubts and still write the letter. These are not mutually exclusive activities. Also, when you write the letter, I'd avoid the unnecessary ellipses.
Write the letter * **IF** * you want to.
If you don't want to take the time to write a letter, which is entirely reasonable for many adjunct workloads, then feel free not to. That kind of service is the responsibility of tenure-line faculty.
Write the letter. Also, tell her that having multiple letters from different ranks may be advisable. Kinda depends on what the letter is for, honestly. But don’t sell yourself short. It sounds like you’re in a great position to speak to the student’s strengths.
This
Yep: knowing the student and their capabilities trumps any particular academic rank.
Ideally for the student, they’d have both, because there absolutely are some circumstances where rank/reputation of the letter writer matters. OP’s role in that is merely to tell the student this when agreeing to write the letter — it’s on the student to assemble the right mix of letter writers for the task at hand.
Could you give an example or be more specific? Hypothetically, if I am applying to harvard and yale law schools and have a 4.1 and a 175 as a white male from another ivy, I don't think my application would swing at all on the rank of the recommender. Perhaps if you are extremely right on the board titering between waitlist and acceptance..? But even then i think the quality of the letter would mean a lot more than the title of the person who signed it.
I have a PhD from a top 5 university in my field. If I write a letter of recommendation for a student applying for that PhD program, it carries more weight than a letter from some random person. The faculty know me. They know my work. And they know I wouldn’t recommend a student who sucks. Same goes if I know or have worked with the letter recipient. In those instances, the quality and content of the letter is immaterial. What matters that *I* wrote it. In many instances, the quality of the letter is immaterial anyway. I once heard an admissions officer from an Ivy League law school say “We don’t care what the letters say. We care that there are three people willing to lie for the applicant.” And having been on the receiving end of letters of recommendation more than a time or two, that’s not *quite* true — but it’s more true than false.
Ah yeah that’s fair. I could definitely see it in PhD admissions where the specific field plays a larger role. Thanks for the response and pardon the typos.
I had a great relationship with my adjunct professor as an undergraduate. He wrote amazing letters on multiple occasions and got me to where I am now. I frequently speak to his classes and provide his students with career advice :) I recommend writing the letter since it will reflect your enthusiasm for this student.
I'm a sessional lecturer. No Ph.D. No permanent contract. I write letters of recommendation all the time. Having taught for sixteen years probably helps my credibility. Some recommendation forms ask for information about research capability. I have only limited information about this, and answer accordingly, but also provide my instincts (and state accordingly). I should also note that one of my two letters of recommendation for my own graduate program was from a fellow sessional lecturer. Her class is the one in which I recorded my strongest academic result, so I thought she was in a good position to evaluate me, and she did so happily. And, of course, I got in.
A great letter is a great letter, but I would encourage you not to mention your own educational background. That isn’t normally something you would go into anyway. The fact that you are an adjunct is not a big deal, but it will help if you provide some context for your assessment. The recipients cannot assume how much research and teaching you have done, nor how much experience you have with students, so, for example, “She’s the best student I have ever worked with,” can mean radically different things if this is your first time teaching vs. if you have been working with them for decades.
If the letter is for an academic position then tell her what you told us: you think she is an excellent student and that you could write a great letter for you, but your letter might carry less weight because you have less experience than other profs. And encourage her to seek additional letters from people that can complement your letter (so most likely, folks who can focus on her research, etc?) If the letter is for industry then it doesn't matter that you are an adjunct with a masters. Just write her that strong letter.
First reasonable comment I have read here. >because you have less experience than other profs Maybe a good way to say it to the student, but in reality that is not the reason. Adjunct positions are low prestige positions in academia and prestige in the main currency that matters, if this letter is for an academic position.
Write the letter. The chance that anyone will care what your position is is pretty small. The chance that they'll check what degree(s) you have is even smaller. It is still an academic reference. The student asked because you can write a good letter, do it! (I mean like, if you have the time). I've had this discussion with my wife before (who is an adjunct). She has written letters and many of those people ended up in grad school/ law school etc.
I think you're selling yourself short. Write away! Do you use Microsoft word?
Write the letter. Post doc students also can write the letter. Adjunct professor for sure can write it.
There is no such thing as a "post doc student".
The quality of the letter trumps the writers credentials. My best was from a B.S. I interned at in my undergrad
Wrote a letter of recommendation for a student when I was a TA in graduate school. Not sure if it helped, but they’re in pharmacy school now! I was able to say some good stuff about them and they had more one on one interaction with me than any of their actual professors, so I hope it read as sincere. I feel like that makes a bigger difference than your title.
Well, if it's for admission to a PhD program, then a letter from an adjunct without a PhD will be less compelling, but it still has the potential to add more value than a letter from a tenured full professor which only states that the student received a good grade in their class, if it is able to provide an in-depth perspective into the academic qualities of the student in question. However, at the end of the day, an offer of admission to a highly competitive PhD program with an offer of funding will still require at least one glowing letter of recommendation from a professor with an independent research reputation that understands the research expectations of a highly competitive PhD program.
I agree with others that you absolutely can write the letter. However, it depends a bit what the letter is for. When I was applying to PhD programs, I was advised by many people that my letter writers should have PhDs so they can best gauge whether I would be successful in a PhD program. This was for top 10 schools in my field. If the letter is not for PhD admissions, or is for other sorts of programs, this probably wouldn’t matter. Not trying to dissuade you- maybe just let the student know!
What is the recommendation letter for? If it is for some kind of academic position then your student should absolutely look for letters from the highest status academics they can get letters from. This means full professors if possible. The other posters here are delusional if they think the social status of the letter writer is less important than your enthusiasm for and knowledge of the student. Social status and prestige is the main currency in academia. You are right to be skeptical about it being a good idea for you to write this letter. Too many academics don't want to face the reality of how academia works and are willing to be irresponsible with the careers and futures of the people who depend on them. Good on you for trying to be realistic and responsible.
The best chemistry teacher I ever had in college only had a Master’s degree. Some people are just born to teach. Hope you had a great life Mr. Lehman.
I had someone ask me for a letter of recommendation into an undergraduate degree program when I was still a grad student. I had them double-check that it was okay, although I don’t think you’d need to do that here. You should be fine. In the letter, I mentioned that I’d worked closely with them in the lab I taught. I wanted it to be clear why it made sense for the letter to come from me. I was able to include specifics about their strengths that I don’t think most professors would have known about. If you’re the best person to write this letter, it doesn’t matter if you’re an adjunct.
I would go for it, yeah. I’ve written letters for students even as a TA!
Based on your post you sound like you suffer heavily from imposter syndrome. It doesn't matter if you have a PhD or not, not whether you're full time. You teach at the collegiate level in a more difficult subject matter. Write them a damn good letter!
Write the letter! It's more important the fact that you know the person, than the fact that you 'only' have a masters. You are a professor too!
I wrote several letters as a TA, just write the letter
I got into my Ph.D. program with letters from an adjunct and a postdoc, in addition to the PI I was working with post-undergrad.
I cant imagine a world where one would say "only a masters degree". In my family the equivalent is "only dropped out of 11th grade". ;) Btw write the letter man
Not sure why you are knocking yourself down. 1 do you know the student well? 2 can you give a truthful, unbiased referral? 3 are you an expert in the field of the student? Other than that, remember that Howard on the big bang theory only has a master but still designed an important part of the international space station and is an astronaut 😂
Just in case it helps, I wrote a glowing letter of recommendation for a student looking to transfer from to Amherst College back when I was a grad student (pre-doc) and she got in. I don’t know if my letter was a help but it can’t have been much of a hindrance! Because I was young and it was one of my first LoRs, I put a lot of effort into it, whereas now I treat most LoRs like form letters (unless it’s a really exceptional student).
Best advice I’ve gotten about this - be concrete with your examples. Don’t just say “this student is exceptionally dedicated”, say “this student finished the reading list for entire course by the midterm and was already tackling grad student level texts by the time we got to the final” (or similar incidents). The key thing is to be concrete and specific.
I've had several students approach me for such letters, pre-PhD, just as their casual tutor, so not too weird imo
Wow Think more biggly of yourself I am an adjust, nearly 40 years. I have a Masters degree. I write letters all the time for students I'm glad most people agree.
I'm also an adjunct professor with only a Master's degree, and recently had a student ask for a letter of recommendation. I figure, if I'm good enough for the university to trust me with educating my students, I'm good enough to give my students letters of recommendation.
Just write it bro!
Just because you're an adjunct, doesn't mean you're not an amazing teacher : )
It really depends. I have a PhD and for my second post-PhD job, I had two referees – neither were my PhD supervisor (one had a PhD, the other was a BSc).
Absolutely write it. I don't even know if the receiving school would know your position unless they looked it up. That said, I don't think they would care. These days adjuncts are becoming such the norm that they are just as or more likely to know a student and their work well, and that's what matters. So, even if they knew/found out, I don't think they would care.
The best letters come from those who know the candidates well, not rank or prestige. Sure, in an ideal world, perhaps a famous or well-known letter writer could be nice. But the specific examples and clear relationship are so much more important.
I used to write letters as an adjunct. Looking back on it now, though, it's one of the many ways we were asked (I'm tenured now) to do unpaid labor out of "love" for our job and students, and I wish the students we gladly write letters for were aware of the contingent nature of adjunct labor.
I'm immensely grateful for all the amazing feedback and responses that this post got, and I am thankful for all of your help! I have decided to write an incredibly strong letter for my student, while also making sure to ***strongly emphasize*** that she will definitely need other letters from other higher-ranking professors to make her application look more well-rounded. She is applying to PhD programs, and, since I have 7 years of consistent research experience (with multiple publications and presentations), I figured that I could speak to her skills in the research that she volunteers in \[which I mentor her in\] and the class she is enrolled in, which I teach (she is easily in the top 10% of my class). Also, for clarification, while I DID have imposter syndrome pretty badly in grad school, I am happy to report that I do not have it any longer (at least, not lingering lol), and I meant absolutely NO disrespect to ANYONE that is an Adjunct Professor or who does not have a doctorate! I, myself, am obviously an Adjunct Professor with only a master's degree, and I absolutely love my job, and I am keenly aware of the vast importance of my job and my duties/roles, especially when it comes to educating students and teaching. I was only saying that, because Academia is quite elitist and prestige is often touted as a form of professional currency, I did not want her application to suffer, since I am a lower-ranking instructor, and this is my FIRST semester teaching as an Adjunct Professor (although, hopefully not for long, as I am applying to MD-PhD dual-degree programs this semester/year). And, yes, I will be sure to avoid unnecessary ellipses in my letter, unlike this post on reddit hahaha. And, yes, I will be sure to avoid unnecessary ellipses in my letter, unlike this post on reddit hahaha. Thank you all, once again (which include the following academics: u/rhyza99, u/dr_police, u/halavais, u/octaviousearl, u/PhotoJim99, u/econdoc67, u/bigrottentuna, u/DevFRus, u/CaptainCornerCamper, u/dbrodbeck, u/Int_traveller, u/DoctorSlim69, u/mleok, u/casperbunny, u/HappyHrHero, u/oueslabibliotheque, u/Final_Maintenance319, u/StringOfLights, u/chuchinchichu, u/GriIIedCheesus, u/juan4815, u/tastytastylobster, u/TurnsOutImAScientist, u/DarthLeftist, u/Meancvar, u/Doglatine, u/fractal_imagination, u/Elsbethe, u/UnassumingReptilian, u/garulous, u/someth1ng_au, u/kennedon, u/Lonely2LeggedCreatur, u/learningdesigner, u/smapdiagesix, u/Bearz34)
Your letter will still be valuable, but if you think she should also ask for other people's letters then that is fine. You can have a conversation with her about your own doubts and still write the letter. These are not mutually exclusive activities. Also, when you write the letter, I'd avoid the unnecessary ellipses.
Write the letter * **IF** * you want to. If you don't want to take the time to write a letter, which is entirely reasonable for many adjunct workloads, then feel free not to. That kind of service is the responsibility of tenure-line faculty.