Self-study
I have been graduated from college for a year now, headed into my second. I can not say that I have maintained any strong relationships with professors due to the fact that I almost always was at work. I would come to class and head straight to work. However, I did work for the Office of Admissions at my university and fostered really great connections with my supervisors.
My question is, would it be better to get a letter of recommendation from someone at my on-campus job, my job/internship at the law firm I currently work at, a past employer, my current mentor, or still try and obtain a professor's letter of recommendation.
I have really close personal/professional relationships with the above (minus the professor) and would love thoughts! Thanks!
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6 comments
And a related PS for anyone reading this who is a current undergrad:
hey! you! go attend office hours a few times during the upcoming academic year!
I know schedules can be busy and I know there may be some anxiety. But it's better to establish a few relationships while you can.
@jaidaanderson - You're not going to like to hear this, but here we go ... let's rip the band aid off!
If you're applying to law school within a year or two of graduating from your most recent higher ed degree, admissions officers expect to see at least one academic letter. It would look odd NOT to see one academic letter.
Sigh..... And please know that I absolutely hear what you're saying regarding not developing any relationships with profs. That's very understandable.
But to make you feel better, please understand that LoRs are not going to make or break your app. They're usually the last things I would read in an app. By the time I got to them, I felt like I knew whether I was going to vote to admit, waitlist, or deny. What I wanted from the LoRs was a verification of that vote. That's all!
So I'd suggest starting with at least a few profs whose classes you really liked and where you got good grades. Reach out to them to see if any would be willing to write a letter for you. If you strike out with all of them, then fall back on sending in two professional letters from supervisors/bosses.
@JacobBaska I did end up reaching out to a professor from my senior-level online courses. She agreed to write me a letter of recommendation! Thank you !
@jaidaanderson Woo!!!
Maybe reach out to a professor you did exceptionally good classwork for and explain that you didn't have much time to meet with professors due to your part-time work, but explain your reasons why you want to go to law school and how you would really appreciate a letter describing your work quality? And you could jog their memory using specific assignments you did (maybe even send them essays you wrote for them). Good luck to you!
From meeting with a plethora of law school admissions people. They always say they’d like to see a letter that demonstrate your ability in the classroom, as well as a professional one. I would try to get a professor. But really only if they can write you a good one