Strange Interaction with Professor

Question

I'm currently preparing my applications for graduate economics and statistics programs, and had a bit of a strange interaction with a statistics professor I'm currently doing research under. Since I'm not that familiar with a lot of the social norms of academia, I was wondering if someone could help me figure out what happened.

I've been working for this professor for almost a year at this point (unpaid), and I would say we definitely have a good relationship. The main tasks I've done for him are:

• writing all the documentation files for a software package that implements statistical methods he created
• creating a ~40 min presentation that explains his new statistical methods in detail

Currently, I'm helping him debug the software package and generalize his methods in an upcoming paper. He's said that if we can get a substantive paper out of this, he would put me down as a co-author. He's also said things like "You have research potential", and "I've been speaking to my coauthor, and we're both very impressed. If you want to apply to the statistics PhD for [school redacted], I could definitely help you with that". (These are word-for-word quotes.)

Here's where the weird part comes in. I recently had a meeting with him where we discussed upcoming tasks, and at the end, I asked him for advice on writing my statement of purpose. He didn't answer the question, and instead went on a short tangent, saying that my GPA was way too low given the schools I was applying to and that he wouldn't be able to write a substantive letter of recommendation for PhD applications, but maybe able to write one for masters applications.

While I totally understand that I'm not automatically entitled to a letter of recommendation from anyone, this feels like it came out of left field. I was kind of banking on his letter being my strongest one, and now it seems like I'm not going to get one at all. I have another meeting with him soon, but in the meantime, I'm trying to figure out what just happened.

Answer 1

I can give you an anecdote from my own experience. Three years ago I took an undergraduate who had a very mediocre GPA (~3.2), but otherwise was hardworking. I was aware of the GPA, and in my years of experience (including my own personal experience), once you get into a research environment, things start to click, and you get motivated by the prospect of graduate school, that GPA almost always goes up. So yes, at the time I took that student, the ~3.2 GPA was fine, not great, but given prior experience with other students it was very likely to improve a bit, and with a ~3.5 would be doable for a variety of graduate schools.

So, for over a year, I honestly didn't think much of it. I kept working with this student and I had not observed any negative changes, rather they were a good group member and worked hard enough. It was my mistake that I didn't follow the GPA closely. Come the fall when grad school applications are due, the student approaches me asking for support, so of course I was happy to and I asked them for details including GPA to date..... Turns out that GPA dropped to 2.9. I was surprised, but more important, the narrative changed. This was now below most grad school cut offs, and we had to have a hard talk. I too suggested a masters program as an opportunity to boost grades and reapply/transfer into a PhD. The truth was, I was happy to provide letters of support, but they were very unlikely to net the student a placement into any of the PhD programs they wanted (all decent R1s).

Answer 2

This sounds like it could be entirely sincere, and the professor is genuinely interested in helping you move forward in your career. Based on your interactions in connection with his research work, he may have concluded that you were showing real promise and seemed like a good candidate for a strong doctoral program—making, in the process, an erroneous assumption that your grades were significantly better than they actually are. (I know you said that he was aware of your GPA, but he may not have remembered that it was so low. I have had lots of undergraduate research students whose GPAs I learned when they first expressed interest in working with me, but I then subsequently forgot.) That would be, in a way, complimentary to you, that he had a high estimation of you based on his experience supervising your work. So he made a offer to help you get into graduate programs.

However, when you started showing him your application materials, he was reminded that your grades were not what he had been thinking. It may be an entirely correct estimation that your grades are simply not strong enough for you to get into the kind of doctoral programs you were aiming for. And now, he is trying to help you find an alternative path. That's a big disappointment for you, but his assessment may well be accurate, that a masters program is the best chance for you to get into graduate school at this point.

Answer 3

From what you write, it sounds like he wants you to work for him but no others. Sadly, a kind of ownership.

If you are happy to continue where you are then there are no real issues, and I'd guess he will continue to be supportive, but I'd look for other recommenders if you want to move on.

I agree that it is weird. Talk to some other professors for guidance and recommendations if there are some who know your work well.

But keep communication open with him at least until you get final decisions on authorship of the paper. That will serve you well no matter what else happens.

If this is the US, then note that there is a vast difference between going directly to a doctoral program and going to a masters first. Funding would be a huge issue.

Answer 4

If the professor can't attest to stellar academic ability, you might want to ask him what the best recommendation he'd be willing to write might look like.

You obviously can't hide your transcript from schools you're applying to, so if he writes, "rainbowschubert isn't the best at coursework" that won't be a surprise to the admissions committee. If he can write "rainbowschubert isn't the best at coursework with respect to grades, but based upon my interactions with them, I have no concerns about their ability to successfully complete a graduate curriculum" -- that's even better. Combined with something along the lines of "This student shows great curiosity, asks intelligent questions in the lab, shows outstanding lab technique, is dedicated and trustworthy, and works without supervision" -- now we're talking about something that might support a decision for admission.

My recommendation would be to go have an adult conversation with your supervisor asking him if he's comfortable with writing any recommendation, even if it's not glowing, and whether such a recommendation could positively support any aspect of your whole portfolio. A question that sometimes appears in admissions questionnaires for recommenders is "would you hire this student". You might ask if he would answer positively.

To back this up, when I'm asked to write a recommendation for a student I would think of as marginal, I have a meeting with the student and nicely, but clearly, tell them the best type of recommendation I could write for them before agreeing to write it. Sometimes they'll say "thank you -- that would be of help because you're the only person in a position to make this particular point", and other times they move on to the next person on their list.

If you're going to have such a conversation, do your best to not take the responses personally, though that can be difficult.

UPDATE: the prof seems to feel that the highest probability plan for you to get admitted to a PhD program is to start in a MS to demonstrate that you can get good grades before applying for the PhD. Lot's of students with less than stellar transcripts plan that exact route. I can't tell you whether they are successful in getting into a PhD program or not.

Answer 5

There are times in all of our lives when we somehow imagine that the closer we are physically to something that attracts us, the closer we are to actually possessing it.

But this is a folly.

I won't say many professors abuse the prestige of their positions to get freebie labor from ambitious students. But I have to say that some, sadly, will do this.

You have been taken for a bit of a ride over the last year (since graduation?) by this guy. Much of what you've been doing is mere donkey-work in the overall context of that professor's research. Maybe he is not as sharp in statistics or coding or whatever and has you around to pull up his trousers in these matters.

You do the work unpaid. Plenty of it. He is vocally grateful, complimentary and even voices the sentiment that he and his colleague think that you may have "research potential". Of course this is flattering and encouraging to you. So you do yet more work in the hope that the professor will assist you in widening your horizons.

You haven't told us if your GPA is lower or not than what you - realistically - expect would apply at the grad schools you're applying to.

It's possible that this may be true and that you need to either apply for a lesser grad school or else for an MS program.

But either way I think it's time you left the unpaid employ of this professor. Not just because of it not providing you with an entrée to where you'd like to go. Rather because I don't like the way he abuses the prestige of his position. And I think your will to resist it is not strong enough.

Answer 6

Professors have a lot of pull in their own department. They can easily enroll a student or even hire them in RA/TA positions with subpar grades who normally would have no chance. If they said they can help you get a PhD program in their department, that might not mean they can help you get to a PhD program in any university. They could write a good recommendation letter but that might not mean much to an outsider to the department.

Answer 7

Talk to your advisor

We can speculate on your situation, but the bottom line is that there is a gap between what you understood your advisor was telling you earlier and what he is telling you now. You are perfectly in your rights to ask for a meeting (ideally in person) and ask if he can clarify what changed. Once you understand that, you can ask him if he has advice on how to proceed. In the end, your advisor knows you, your work, and your field much better than we do, presumably has your best interests at heart since he has already told you that you are a good researcher, and can give you much better and specific advice than anonymous internet strangers. Also, unlike some situations where it can be useful to seek an outside opinion, I don't see a political risk here of asking the question directly. Just talk to him.