Linguistics grad school recommendations

[Judy Pine]

Dear Paul, and other undergraduates with this question,

In order to have a strong letter, you really need it to come from someone with a basis for judging your potential. That means someone for whom you have done substantial work.  It is far more important that they know your capabilities than that they be in a specific field of study.

Of course, you need someone who can speak to your ability to complete the work you are proposing to do in your application.  And you need to think about the rank of the referees - a full professor outranks an associate, and associate outranks an assistant.  If you have a full professor for whom you have done a research project, and especially if that project involved skills you will also be using in the graduate work you are proposing, then they are the absolute best reference.

Be sure to treat the request for a letter as formally as you would a job application.  It is entirely inappropriate to write a "Hey, prof, can you do me a solid?" sort of email.  You are asking your referee to spend some significant time and thought on a carefully crafted letter on your behalf.  Be sure you remind them of the work you did with them, connect that work to the project you are proposing for graduate work, and explain why the particular graduate program(s) to which you are applying are such a great fit for you and your project.

That is also information that should be in your application letter, frankly.  That is, you should explain, in a fairly formal register with the most excellent writing of which you are capable, why you are a great fit for grad program X and why grad program X is a great fit for you. 

- Judy Pine

-----Original Message-----
From: Linguistic Anthropology Discussion Group [mailto:LINGANTH at listserv.linguistlist.org] On Behalf Of Paul Otto
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 11:48 AM
To: LINGANTH at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
Subject: Linguistics grad school recommendations

Hello all,

I am a prospective graduate student in linguistics, and I have a question that so far has gone unanswered: as an anthropology major at a university without a linguistics department, how can/should I go about getting the recommendations from linguistics scholars that I need for applying to graduate programs?

Am I mistaken in understanding that my recommendations need to be from people with specifically linguistic backgrounds? There are some professors in related fields (including one "linguistically-informed anthropologist") at my university, and I've contemplated asking them for recommendations. 

What should I do?

Gratefully and respectfully yours,

Paul Otto
Undergraduate - DePaul University
Anthropology Department