Letters of Recommendation

This week I received 3 questions for the blog all on Letters of Recommendation so this post will be a overview.

One of the most commonly asked questions is, what to do when you've been out of school for a while and don't have professors to write letters for you. In this case you're likely a working professional, or even volunteering so use what you have. Letters are not required to be written by professors. Often we see letters from supervisors, graduate TA's and  other academics. What you want to keep in mind is what information the letters will provide. Typically, you want to try to have at least one letter from someone who has seen you in an academic setting and can write to your academic potential. This doesn't necessarily mean a professor. If you're working in the industry, have a supervisor write to your potential in the industry or your research potential. Catch the theme yet? It's all about potential. We want to know your potential and how you've done so far. Now if you're debating between a professor who you  don't have a strong relationship with you, or a TA who you have worked closely with all semester, consider your other letter writers. If you already have two strong letters of recommendation from professors, one from a TA will likely be acceptable.

Now what about the actual number of letters. Most schools require at least three Letters of Recommendation, but some people wonder about submitting more. My recommendation is that 3-5 Letters of Recommendation are acceptable. Beyond that and there can be the potential that the admissions committee will question the need for so many. If you feel that your letters are not as strong as you'd like you don't want to add more to compensate. Work on the relationships themselves, don't add more. If you feel they are all strong this is great, but don't want to come off as bragging. And keep in mind the committees are reading hundreds of files and they always appreciate a well prepared, succinct application. 

Lastly, this year SOPHAS is only accepting Letters of Recommendation electronically. If you send a hard copy to us or to them there is no way for us to add this to your application. Keep this in mind when asking your letter writers for a recommendation. Make sure they have someone who can upload the letter if they are not comfortable with email or computers. Additionally, SOPHAS will not release your application to us unless they have received at least two letters electronically. As always once you've submitted your application be sure to log back in periodically to check your items are being received. It is ultimately your responsibility for the completeness of your application.