<p>I graduated in 2005 and am now deciding to go back to grad school for a PhD. I haven't talked to any of my professors since graduating and decided to get all of my LORs from my supervisors where I previously worked. They are all PhD scientists so does it really matter then that I have no LORs from a professor?</p>
<p>You REALLY do need to get a LOR from a minimum of 2 professors. You’ll be surprised how many will actually remember you when you jog their memory with what classes you took and what projects/papers you did for them. E-mail them NOW to update what you’ve been doing since graduation and that you’re considering graduate school. See how they respond.</p>
<p>I did this- I didn’t have a single recommendation from a college professor. All of my recommendations came from Phd (or MD) research supervisors. I was accepted almost everywhere I applied.</p>
<p>I didn’t get a single letter from a prof (and only one of my letters was from my undergrad institution) and I was accepted to some highly regarded programs.</p>
<p>You want letters from people who know your research abilities and critical thinking skills. If that includes professors, all the better, but don’t waste an LoR on a prof that only knows you from a class.</p>
<p>They’re more forgiving of those that have been out of school for a while, so you may still be fine. Alternatively, you can try to get 1 prof letter for the sake of getting a prof letter (in place of your weakest industry letter). Professors will often ask you for your CV, transcript, and list of activities and write you a letter based on those if they don’t know you well themselves to write something substantial. If anyone has any memory of you at all, you could try that (be honest about your situation and offer them a way out).</p>