Self-study
Hi everyone,
Two Questions:
1) The letter of recommendation that I am going to get from my professor in college is an old theology teacher I had in undergrad. I did not have many relationships with my teachers outside of this one... Do you think having him as my sole academic rec would hurt me?
2) How important is it to have a letter of recommendation from academics? I have been out of school for 2+ years. I think I have unique and solid recs from work and sports, but not really from academic.
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13 comments
@LSATTAKER - Good questions!
Once you start getting 2+ years out of undergrad, admissions officers expect that we'll just see one academic letter. This is usually because you've been doing other things now for 2+ years (like working) so it's also likely that we'll see a professional letter of rec. One academic and one professional - you should be good to go!
For anyone reading this who either will apply during their senior year OR right after graduation, the expectation for you is that you'll submit two academic letters of rec. It'd look a little weird just to see one (or none!).
@JacobBaska what happens if you're 13 years out? Will they still expect to see an academic LOR?
@APBookninja Once you get past two or three years out of undergrad, admissions officers no longer expect to see any academic letters. We expect to see two professional ones instead.
@JacobBaska thank you so much!!
I have that specific problem. Since I graduated from college in 2024. I lost contact with my college advisor and I don’t knowvwhere else I can request a letter of recommendation.
@JeyrelitzaClemente I feel that…
@JeyrelitzaClemente If you have old coursework from a class you did well in, you could still potentially ask that professor.
@JeyrelitzaClemente my advisor actually passed away so i don’t even have that option 🥲
@Rena12345 Actually that sounds helpful. But what about a letter of recommendation from work or it has to be academic?
@VioletSorrengail OMG! Im sorry to hear that. I know your gonna find another option.💜
@JeyrelitzaClemente From what I've seen, most schools (especially the more selective ones) prefer at least one academic LOR for recent grads. That may have more predictive validity as to what type of student and community member you'll be once in law school. But, once you've been out of school for a few years, it makes sense to have a professional one as well. I've been out of school four years, so I'm trying to get both academic and professional recs since I've kept in touch with some profs. And of course, if it's been a really long time since college, I'd assume that schools would understand if you only had professional recs.
Also, I think the type of work that you do matters. If your supervisor can speak to qualities that law schools care about, like writing, analytical thinking, problem-solving, etc, that would help. But if they can't, then IMO it makes an academic letter more important.
But please take my opinion with a grain of salt—I'm just trying to figure it out along with everyone here :)
@Rena12345 but thank you. This is really helpful.
Given that you're two years out, I think the professional letters are good, considering they represent how you work with others and act now, whereas two years ago might not be fully representative. Your GPA can give an indication as to how you are as a student, but you definitely aren't far enough out where it would hurt you.