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Letters Of Recommendation. Who is best?

aguirreliz92aguirreliz92 Alum Member
in Law School Admissions 217 karma

Hi everyone! I have consistently read that the recommenders should be academic but can be work related if you have been out of school for some time. I graduated undergrad in the year of 2015. Now that I have been out of school for 4 years, I have been working, starting as a barista and am now the General Manager to one of the top stores in the company. I am planning to have two of my previous professors write letters of recommendations, however some people have mentioned that I should have the CEO of my company write a letter, considering he hand picked me to run the store that I am currently working at. I am unsure if asking him is the right thing to do. I am not one to name drop (not that his name is huge) but that is how I feel it would be if I asked him for a LOR. I am convinced the two professors I have chosen will be able to write about my strong academia and talent that I presented through the classes I took. Any thoughts? Am I too far out from college to be focusing more on finding a work reference?

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Comments

  • PrincessPrincess Alum Member
    821 karma

    Hey! I think that most schools do allow 3 letters, so that's what I'm doing. I had two professors and one related to work as well. I think if you just have a chat with the professors, they'll be understanding about the situation and willing to help. They may even ask you what you would like highlighted in the letter, so you could share that too. If the CEO can speak more about why he trusted you and picked you, that could be helpful too. It should have a "story" to it, so it doesn't seem like you just chose him for the CEO, but he barely knows you. Be sure that he can speak about you and knows enough about you to do it!

  • Selene SteelmanSelene Steelman Free Trial Member Admissions Consultant
    2037 karma

    If you have been out of school and working for 4 years, an admissions reader would likely expect to see a professional LOR as part of your application. I would not worry about the optics of asking the CEO. As long as the recommender can speak to some or all of the the following, it will help the adcom get a better sense of you as a candidate:

    • are you likely to succeed in your legal studies
    • do you have good social skills and can you relate well to people
    • are you organized and can you manage your own time
    • do you have a well-developed and focused career plan
    • do you display leadership qualities and sound writing skills

    Good luck!

  • eRetakereRetaker Free Trial Member
    2038 karma

    Personally just used 2 professors + 1 work recommendation. I think most schools allow up to 4 recommendations.

  • aguirreliz92aguirreliz92 Alum Member
    217 karma

    Thank you for your help everyone!

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