求定位求推荐信意见

2+2项目转学到康奈尔, 工程、理学双学位实验经历大多是wet biology，没有quantitative biology的research经验（比较致命），但是修过很多cs, math, statistics的高阶课，concentrating on computational biology，上过computational biology的研究生Level课，minor in cs, chemistry
GPA比较惨淡，事情张罗的太宽，精力有限
期望学校：Yale, Cornell, Columbia, Upenn, Duke, UCSD, UCSC, UCLA, NCSU, BU, UW madison, Washington U
不知道保底的学校够不够稳妥，求建议。

另外第三封推荐信求意见，有两个选择，第一个是国内大学的院长，人很好，为了2+2项目打了很多交道
，也很了解我。跟她说让她写推荐信，她答应亲自给我写。但是写的内容也不会涉及
computational biology，她自己是做组织再生的，只是大一的时候打过酱油。个人
characteristics方面应该会着重写。第二是这学期
computational biology这门课的教授。答应给我写推荐信，但是这学期事情实在太忙
（打工，做thesis，TA，还有20学分），那门课表现不甚理想。这门课的大部分都是研
究生，本科生很多也是CS的，没有考试，只有五次大作业和一次project。我的第二三
四次作业都没有到mean（大家不要再拍我了，真心太忙而且课程设计完全不是自己的套
路），但是教授还是说他给我写推荐信的offer still open。一直被他的这封推荐信搞
得压力很大，前面给他发邮件说不麻烦他写了，找原来学校的院长写。他回复的原
email如下：
Maybe the fairest way to proceed would be for me to tell you the type of
letter I feel I would be able to write, given what I have seen, and then
you can decide whether you'd like me to go ahead and write it or whether
you'd rather ask someone else.  Here's what I could say: I have met with
you no multiple occasions and you seem like a bright, highly motivated,
focused student, with a clear idea of what you would like to pursue in
graduate school.  You have done well as a biology major at XXX, and have
kept up with a challenging course load including not just biology
courses but courses in Math, CS, and statistics (I can talk a bit about
the computational biology concentration).  You have done an honors
thesis and been active in undergraduate research. Then I can say a bit
about my class, giving your performance a positive spin: it's a cross-listed class with
more grad students than undergrads, it's considered a very challenging
course but you have kept up with the material, turned in all homeworks,
done reasonably well (though not at the top of the class).  I can also
talk about your project if you find a good one and do well on it.  This
is about what the letter would be like -- I can generally emphasize the
challenging nature of what you've taken on, stress your maturity, state
that I think you will likely do well in graduate school, while allowing
that you are not at the very top of our students in terms of academic
accomplishments.  On balance I think this would be seen as a reasonably
positive letter, but not a glowing one.  You will have to decide whether
you think this will help you or not.

一开始觉得比较relieving，但是仔细读，那个not the top of our students in
terms of academic accomplishments还有on balance this would be a
reasonably positive letter感觉有点不对劲儿。不知道这个唯一一封computational 相关的推荐
信会不会反而起到反面作用。所以犹豫要找国内院长写一封非常向上但是不是特别学术
的推荐信。


求定位求意见

这种教授最怕他在申请系统里rate academic performance的时候选top50%什么的

还是要选strong positive的，否则rate那一部分的时候打低了就杯具了