Letters of Rec. question

<p>If you have been done with undergrad for 2 years and have been working in a professional business environment like I have, is it better to get professional rec letters from co-workers and supervisors you report to, or is it still better to get academic ones from profs. that I haven't spoken to in 2 years? The profs might not even remember me.</p>

<p>academic letters come first. they will remember you if you've spent some quality time with them or knew them well. if this doesn't work then yes rely on your work.</p>

<p>I would try to get one from a supervisor and one from a professor. I think that's pretty typical for people who have been working for a couple of years.</p>

<p>If you have to question whether or not the professor still remembers you, then odds are that he or she never knew you well enough to write a particularly strong recommendation in the first place. But you may be underestimating teachers' memories (or, hey, your own memorableness!). I've always been surprised by how well and for how long teachers/professors remember their students! Was there someone with whom you had a particularly great experience, spent lots of time with (frequent office hour visits, maybe), or performed exceptionally well for? Or maybe your academic advisor? If you really feel like you'd have to scrape the bottom of the barrel, my *assumption<a href="and%20that's%20all%20it%20is">/i</a> is that you'd be better off with a strong and personalized professional rec rather than a vague and generic academic one. But if there's any way of getting a decent academic letter, I echo the above posters in saying that it's probably a good idea.</p>

<p>That said, some suggestions that you might try:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>If you write to a professor, address your concerns. Acknowledge that it's been awhile since you were a student and ask whether (s)he's willing to write you a rec, and also whether (s)he feels comfortable doing so. I think that most professors, if you bring this up tactfully, will give you an honest response.</p></li>
<li><p>Offer to meet up or have a phone conversation to talk a little bit about what you've been up to and what your grad school ambitions are. Also offer to send along any materials that (s)he might find helpful, such as an updated resume or copy of your personal statement. Again, if offered tactfully, then this will allow a professor who remembers you clearly to say "Don't worry about it, I've got a handle on this," but will allow someone who didn't know or doesn't remember you quite as well to seize the opportunity and write a more well-informed, relevant letter. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>Good luck, either way. I'm sure that many applicants share your dilemma.</p>

<p>Well, one professor comes to mind..I had to work extensively with her the last semester of my senior year...I had to do a Senior project, which was basically a very extensive, lengthy research paper on a relevant topic of my choice. It wasn't a regular class per se, but every week I would meet with her in her office to go over my progress and to discuss possible ideas for my paper. I got a A on the paper. She knows I am a good writer and did a good job on my research paper, so maybe she would be a good person to ask for a rec. letter? Although, other than a semester' worth of weekly office visits to discuss a paper, there wasn't much communication between us. Thoughts? Yay or nay on this professor? I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to at least ask.</p>

<p>Yay. A semester's worth of weekly one-on-one visits that allowed her to accompany you through the entire process of an extensive research project (on which you did well) is great. If she's your only/best option, she sounds like a pretty good one.</p>

<p>Like you said, can't hurt to at least ask.</p>