I approached my internship advisor for an LOR while applying to Masters. She said she would not be able to provide a strong one but a good one based on an internship that lasted for two months. I approached her because she holds a PhD from a good university in the USA and she's published papers in top-tier conferences and journals. Will it adversely affect my application? Will it hold as much weight as a strong one because it's she who's recommending it?
Answer
Will it adversely affect my application?
No, but it probably won’t help it much either.
Will it hold as much weight as a strong one because it's she who's recommending it?
Absolutely not.
Keep in mind what “strong recommendation” actually means. It’s not about the forcefulness of the language; it’s about the quality of evidence that the letter provides for your success in the graduate program. The writer’s reputation/credibility is definitely part of that, but that informs how credible I should find the evidence they write about, not just how credible I should find their unjustified opinion.
Compelling evidence from someone relatively unknown has more weight than a bare thumps-up from a superstar.
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