Letters of Recommendation for SLP Grad School

October 20, 2017 9:44 AM

Grad school applications almost universally require Letters of Recommendation from professors, but I don't think I stand out enough to merit any... what should I do?

Ten years ago I got a bachelors degree in Business. In early 2017 I took the first steps towards becoming an Speech Language Pathologist, which means a short "leveling" program to qualify for Grad school, followed by actually applying to Grad school. I am almost done leveling and have to start thinking about the application part. I am in a (somewhat) unique situation in that I am still working full time, so my school life is being squeezed in the best I can.

I've talked to some professors who either demand I get nothing but A's in the their class, or would only write me a letter if I have done extensive volunteering or worked on their research projects.

Regarding the grades, I am a smart and capable person who is doing their best, but often I get B's. I will likely finish this leveling program (about 9-10 classes total) with an average of somewhere in the 3.25-3.5 GPA range. I don't think this is terrible, in fact it's something I'm proud of. But I'm competing with students who consistently get 100% on tests, assignments, etc. and carry a near 4.0 average. So one professor basically said that since my competition is so much better, it would be a "waste of paper" to write me a letter unless I can do better.

Regarding the outside work, I understand graduate school will be a large time commitment, even if I am in an on-line, part-time program. If I get accepted into a program, I understand I'll need to make adjustments. But currently, I feel like I'm at my limit. I don't have time to volunteer for clinics because those all operate during regular business hours (when I am working) and research is an even more dramatic time commitment, again during inconvenient hours. I know that my competition for most grad programs don't see any problem with this, but I have a family to support and am doing my best.

Maybe these things sound like excuses, so I don't blame a professor for not sympathizing. But I refuse to believe that my situation disqualifies me for grad school. So how do I manage to get recommendations? I've been told that a recommendation from my current boss (someone completely outside academics or the field of Communication Disorders/SLP/etc) is mostly worthless. I've been told that the opinion of TAs is mostly worthless, because only impressive, long-tenured professors' opinions matter.

So how do I impress the people I need to impress if I cannot do the things they are expecting? Lots of things I'm reading seem to say the Letters are more important than your grades, your outside experience, your GRE scores, etc. But how do I get one if I'm not impressing anyone? Is Grad school supposed to be reserved only for people who are really exceptional standouts?

Just to add a specific level of context after reading some of the other AskMe's about letters - being a practicing SLP in the US requires you to complete grad school. So when I've been asked why I am trying to get into Grad school, it is because I am required to if this is the job I want. So if your advice is "don't go to grad school if you can't do X, Y, Z" I appreciate you reading but that isn't helpful to me.

posted by obtuser to Education (14 answers total)

Best answer: I can't tell how many of your professors you've talked to, but there is a significant variety of opinions about letters of recommendation, and I know plenty of professors who would give you a solid letter for showing up dependably and managing a B with your other responsibilities. Don't let one or two "no"s dissuade you. And I would tell your profs a short version of what you've told us. "Even though it was necessary for me to work full-time, I earned a B in your class, and I learned ____________________, ____________________, and _______________ from you. I would like to carry my education to the next level with a masters in SLP, and I am prepared to manage my schedule to meet expectation there as I have before. I hope you will support me with a letter of recommendation."

Also, since your GPA is more that 3, you did have some A's. Hit up those profs, especially.

And even though you graduated a decade ago, don't be shy about emailing old profs you liked and connected to. Some of them will remember you (maybe with some nudges) and help out.

I think you can find two or three letters. You'll just have to work the crowd harder than some others.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 10:02 AM on October 20, 2017 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I'm surprised that your professors are being so difficult, to be honest. But if they are refusing you, it's not necessarily because you're not a good student. Sometimes professors are busy, or lazy. I (generally) won't write letters for students I've only had in a single class, but I certainly don't require all As.

I, as an adjunct, usually suggest that students ask tenured faculty, or at least tenure-track faculty, for their letters, because it's often true that these will be better letters -- both because the classes I teach are often general, making my opinion potentially less helpful when it comes to assessing the student's performance in their specific field, and because I know my name will not impress. But I still write letters, when asked, and your adjuncts or TAs will probably write you letters, too, particularly if you explain that your professors are being difficult. (Trust me, they'll understand.) Honestly, some "impressive, long-tenured faculty" tend to write absolutely useless and terrible rec letters. They get asked for them a lot and get tired of it and just basically use a form letter. A well-written letter by a nobody that truly speaks to your strengths is (generally) better than a vague letter, or a flat-out bad letter, by The Famous Professor So And So.

Depending on your program, a letter written by your boss could be helpful, too. People reviewing your application will see that you completed undergrad a while ago -- that's not an unusual circumstance, and a recent letter from a non-academic is far more useful than a letter by an academic, if that academic last knew you ten years ago. You won't be the only student ever to apply to graduate school with some time in the workforce, and employer letters can be of help, provided your employer is given some guidelines and understands what the letter is supposed to look like.

Lastly: I'm sure this can vary by field, and SLP is not my field, but your GRE scores and the letter of intent/cover letter that you write as part of your application will probably be more important than your rec letters. Those are things you can control, so I suggest focusing on those, keeping your grades up, and trying to forge a good relationship with at least one professor (even a less-famous one) in the time that remains in your program.
posted by halation at 10:02 AM on October 20, 2017 [7 favorites]

Yeah this is bullshit. Ask better profs.

The ones who won't write letters unless you volunteer for their projects are unethical hacks and maybe should be reported. It's ok to not write letters, it's not ok to make unpid work e the cost of getting a rec letter.
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:32 AM on October 20, 2017 [2 favorites]

I agree with Pater - keep looking. Approaches to letters vary wildly.

Some profs do state "must get A" up front ... just to avoid getting 120 letter requests every semester from students they barely know. If you approach one for a letter, in person, they might be more willing to listen to why you're unique and why they should write for you. Do they know that you are a non-traditional/returning student? That might help lobby them to your cause.

It is better to get letters from tenured/tenure-track folk, because we've seen several classes and sets of candidates go by, and we can talk about where you are with respect to that large field.
posted by Dashy at 11:08 AM on October 20, 2017

You mention TAs. Are you close with any TAs, who know your work? TAs can co-write a letter with a professor—they can bring in more specific examples if they’ve worked with you more closely than the prof.
posted by inevitability at 11:21 AM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

OP didn't say the professors refused to write a letter unless they worked on only their projects.

I've talked to some professors who either demand I get nothing but A's in the their class, or would only write me a letter if I have done extensive volunteering OR worked on their research projects.
posted by nakedmolerats at 11:22 AM on October 20, 2017

Response by poster: I'm generalizing a little bit about the professors who wanted research, since some said this directly to me and others I only know about this second hand (from other students).

The other professor is a bit of a curmudgeon, although quite friendly, who seemed to have both a very high opinion of himself and overall some very weird opinions about grad school. Maybe I should note he's been teaching for 45+ years so his view of the universe is likely a little skewed. His response to me when I shared my current work background and previous degree was along the lines of, "well why the hell do you want to do this?"

These are very kind and helpful answers. The whole process is very intimidating, and the particular university I am attending tends to want to scare its students more than help them at times. I will take all of this advice to heart and keep trying.
posted by obtuser at 11:48 AM on October 20, 2017

Best answer: Hi. I went to audiology school at the currently ranked #2 in audiology and #1 SLP program in the US. I too had to do a post-bacc and had worked for almost a decade in between undergrad and grad school. Here's what I did: 1 letter from a professor from your leveling program. One of them will do this for you. No, you cannot ask a TA. But just be bold and explain your situation to your profs. 1 letter from you current boss or a recent boss who knows you an will write you a strong letter. Not only is this acceptable, it's really very good. You've been out of school doing other things for a while. Many programs will consider that a strength. A letter from a boss is strong and appropriate and can speak to you as a professional, which your profs cannot. 1 letter can be from an undergrad professor if you were close with one and they will remember you and write you a decent letter.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:46 PM on October 20, 2017 [3 favorites]

I agree with continuing to ask professors, but also I'd think about who you've made a genuine connection with (or how you can make those connections if you haven't already). I'm a professor, and I have no problem writing letters for students who've gotten a whole range of grades in my classes -- but, that doesn't mean I can write a strong letter for EVERY student who I've ever taught.

There are some B-average students who may struggle with some particular aspect of academic coursework, but are clearly deeply engaged with the material, have really thoughtful comments in class discussions, come to office hours, etc. There are other B-average students who I literally can barely put a name to the face because they never speak up, just turn in their work and disappear. If I have zero relationship with a student, there is honestly not much I could say in a letter about them other than "This student took my class, did an average job, and did okay on all the assignments." Which is not going to benefit the student, even if I agreed to do it!

Think about what you would want professors to put in their letters about you -- if it's not volunteering or research or stellar grades, what is it that you believe makes you stand out as a good candidate for graduate school? Make sure your professors KNOW those things about you -- that they know you're really passionate about SLP topics, or that you bring real work experience and can thoughtfully connect that experience to academic topics in course discussions, or that you're an amazing writer even if you aren't a great test-taker. When you ask for the letter, attach your resume as well as your cover letter/personal statement for your applications, so your professors can see and comment upon some of the out-of-the-classroom information that they might not otherwise know about you, but that may make you a strong candidate.

Also it may be worth thinking about this statement:
If I get accepted into a program, I understand I'll need to make adjustments. But currently, I feel like I'm at my limit.

What are you realistically going to be able to change between now and getting accepted to your dream program? Whatever it is, it may make sense to make that change one year earlier (or whatever the time frame is) so that you will have a stronger application to graduate school in the first place. If these changes are truly just unrealistic and never going to happen, it might be better to acknowledge that now and before you spend $$/time on a graduate program. I have no idea which boat you are in, but it may be worth thinking about the nitty gritty of what you'd need to change and whether it's possible to change some of those things today rather than "someday."
posted by rainbowbrite at 12:51 PM on October 20, 2017 [3 favorites]

I agree with rainbowbrite that you should look long and hard at your situation and make sure that this is really a good move for you - many of the people in grad school I know regret their decision bitterly.

In order to get good recommendation letters despite having been away from school for some time, I did as much of the letter writing work as possible for the profs I was asking. In my request email, I included things like the classes I'd taken with the profs, descriptions of the major assignments I'd done with them and the grades I received, mentions of any particularly memorable discussions/units we worked on, nice things they'd said about me... I don't remember all the details, but I refreshed their memories and gave them ideas to work off of as they wrote.
I've also been refused recommendation, and that feels terrible - but you don't want a letter from someone who can't be enthusiastic about you anyway.
posted by Edna Million at 1:27 PM on October 20, 2017

I am a speech therapist in the UK so I can't give you advice. However, despite reddit being a general cesspit, it does have /r/slp and /r/slpgradschool who can be extremely helpful!
posted by kadia_a at 2:29 PM on October 20, 2017

On the one hand, I agree with all those saying that you don't want to have to convince any professor very hard to write you a letter; a lukewarm or pitifully generic letter will do more harm than good. This is one of those things where expensive schools with small classes can make a difference, simply because without TAs the professor could find something positive to say about nearly every student in the class. I hope you keep asking and find a prof who is willing and eager.

Not knowing anything about your field, is it possible that the acceptance rate is very low? In extremely competitive fields, writing a recommendation for a merely very good student would likely be futile, because they're only taking 16% of the applicants anyway. Looking at the SLP program at a mid-tier school like University of the Pacific, they are only taking 10% of their applicants. That's like Ivy League hard. I don't want to discourage you, imposter syndrome is a very real and dangerous thing, and you shouldn't let people on the Internet stop you from doing the great thing you want to do. There's a fine line between arbitrary gatekeeping and judiciously putting effort into recommendations for students who have a halfway decent chance at admission. Are your GRE scores and GPA slightly below the average for admitted students, where you might expect to make up ground in other areas? I really hope you find the best place for you.
posted by wnissen at 3:08 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I actually have good grades and good GRE scores, but yes, it appears that most programs are brutally competitive. This is a health care field with a lot of opportunity, and the degrees are in high demand.

I am in a place in my life where I am willing to do the work, but it'll come at significant personal sacrifice, so I'm trying to save that for when I am actually in a program, and not the runway to the program. Put another way, I'm willing to blow up my life once I'm accepted, but to do it and then still not get accepted would really leave me feeling defeated. The more I read, the more I realize that just may be the case, and I'll have to jump in even without the guarantee of being accepted.
posted by obtuser at 1:55 PM on October 25, 2017

Oh, your GRE's and grades are solidly in the range of admitted students to your program of choice? Then heck yes, do whatever it takes to get a recommendation. Even if you have to finagle some sort of after-hours thing where you work for a professor, grade homework, whatever. It's transactional and awkward, but you can do it. I was only speculating on possible reasons why professors might decline to write a recommendation. .n
posted by wnissen at 11:10 AM on October 26, 2017