How many LORs did you use? Forum

[OmbreGracieuse]

Just curious to all those out there... how many LORs did you have? Were they all from different places, or were some of them from the same place (like 2-3 for college, 1-2 outside, ect).

Also, did you submit them directly to the law school or the LSAC? When did you have them all turned in, in comparison to the academic start date for apps?

New question... does it look bad if your writers sumbit LORs in like May/June when apps don't open until September?\

Thanks!

[jackalope11]

Just curious to all those out there... how many LORs did you have? Were they all from different places, or were some of them from the same place (like 2-3 for college, 1-2 outside, ect).

Also, did you submit them directly to the law school or the LSAC? When did you have them all turned in, in comparison to the academic start date for apps?

New question... does it look bad if your writers sumbit LORs in like May/June when apps don't open until September?\

Thanks!

3 total.

Two from college, one career... All were sent via LSAC. I still think this is the best way of doing it, and many schools require it anyway. Only went with the career because of a long break in between starting and finishing school, where I had some substantial WE. From what I have heard, I would be careful about making sure you have a great deal of WE before trying that...

Also, make sure to double check the requirements. A couple of schools only preferred two, so I only sent two (for example). In that case, I always went with the two school LOR's.

Went 2/4 with that strategy in the T30, despite a rather weak GPA (did I mention that I hate the LSDAS?)... so please take it for what it's worth.

Good luck in your cycle!

Edit: For the timing, I could not answer for sure, but I had mine submitted by March and it didn't seem to hurt any that I know of.

[OmbreGracieuse]

3 total.

Two from college, one career... All were sent via LSAC. I still think this is the best way of doing it, and many schools require it anyway. Only went with the career because of a long break in between starting and finishing school, where I had some substantial WE. From what I have heard, I would be careful about making sure you have a great deal of WE before trying that...

Well, I work at a Center for the Homeless and will have been there for almost three years by the time I start applying. I know the people I work with very well, and it is going to be both on my resume as well as mentioned in my PS (well, to most schools). Do you think that is too short of a time to use a work reference? I have 2 people who are writing me one (or have offered to- one is our director and the other is my immediate supervisor).

[jackalope11]

3 total.

Two from college, one career... All were sent via LSAC. I still think this is the best way of doing it, and many schools require it anyway. Only went with the career because of a long break in between starting and finishing school, where I had some substantial WE. From what I have heard, I would be careful about making sure you have a great deal of WE before trying that...

Well, I work at a Center for the Homeless and will have been there for almost three years by the time I start applying. I know the people I work with very well, and it is going to be both on my resume as well as mentioned in my PS (well, to most schools). Do you think that is too short of a time to use a work reference? I have 2 people who are writing me one (or have offered to- one is our director and the other is my immediate supervisor).

There are probably people who are a great deal more qualified to answer this, but I would hesitate to use one from a job that's that short of tenure... For instance, I know people that have 4-5 years of exp. and didn't use any work references... The one that I used from my career was a person with whom I had worked for over a decade.



Again, though, I am just telling you from my own experience and there may be others with much better info than me.

Sorry to not have a better idea, but I certainly wanted to be honest. Hope it helps!

[splay]

In response to the above, I'm fairly sure that most regular law school applicants (age range 22-27, roughly) have not been employed for over a decade. 3 years is certainly long enough for someone to establish an opinion about you and be able to write a perfectly sufficient LoR. 6 months, probably too short.

[OmbreGracieuse]

In response to the above, I'm fairly sure that most regular law school applicants (age range 22-27, roughly) have not been employed for over a decade. 3 years is certainly long enough for someone to establish an opinion about you and be able to write a perfectly sufficient LoR. 6 months, probably too short.

I actually fall into that age range. I will be applying for law school at the age of 23. I don't think it's legal to have worked a decade (though I would have if I could!) My director wrote me a LOR for an internship I applied for and I got the internship before they even got my second LOR, so while I have not see it, I think the LOR itself would be good; I just didn't know if schools were looking for more academic references.

[Scurredsitless1]

New question... does it look bad if your writers sumbit LORs in like May/June when apps don't open until September?\

Thanks!

I don't think that would matter at all. The sooner you get them sent to LSAC the better, I think. Waiting for my letters to come in was a huge stressor. I know some people will apply in 2 cycles, and use year old letters. It shouldn't matter a bit.

Good Luck!!

[adameus]

two, submitted directly to LSAC.

[jackalope11]

In response to the above, I'm fairly sure that most regular law school applicants (age range 22-27, roughly) have not been employed for over a decade. 3 years is certainly long enough for someone to establish an opinion about you and be able to write a perfectly sufficient LoR. 6 months, probably too short.

I actually fall into that age range. I will be applying for law school at the age of 23. I don't think it's legal to have worked a decade (though I would have if I could!) My director wrote me a LOR for an internship I applied for and I got the internship before they even got my second LOR, so while I have not see it, I think the LOR itself would be good; I just didn't know if schools were looking for more academic references.

Yes... this is what I meant. Unless you have an abundance of WE, then the schools are looking for your academic experiences almost exclusively. Even if you have an abundance of WE, then you still need to be able to provide evidence of same (which is why I only have one career LOR vs. two academic)... I have been told, and read, that unless you have a fairly extensive history, then a career LOR will not help. (Which was the point I tried to make earlier.)

Again, good luck with your cycle!

[Xnegd]

I have five waiting to be sent out, three from school and two from work. Two of the people I asked wrote it before talking to me about it, and also after declining my request to treat them to lunch to discuss it. This led me to believe it was a form LOR, so I had to keep trying to find old professors willing to actually put some personal info in it. Hence why I have so many. I'll submit 3 for sure, and I guess leave the other two for if/when I get wait-listed.

I wish I could read the ones I have in there, but oh well, such is the game.

edit:

Qualifier: I'm 26, and had been out of school for ~5+ years.

[r6_philly]

I have 2 from current professors, 1 from a professor that I worked with under a grant for 5+ years so that could count as both academic and professional.

[cyxdev17]

I know that employer LOR's mean less than academic ones, but I wasn't aware that they don't really mean much unless you've had an extensive work history (as suggested in this thread). I feel like my internship supervisor (who I've worked for for almost a year) would be able to comment on my work-related abilities and personality much more effectively than any of my professors, since I interact with him much more (whether through my internship or socializing or working on projects together) than I would with any professor. I think he would be able to still say things like I'm intelligent and can communicate effectively and have great work ethic, despite not having seen me in an academic setting.

In this case, is it incorrect for me to think that his LOR would count for a lot, simply because he isn't a professor and I haven't had a "real job"?

[kissy]

2 from former professors
1 from current employer

out of UG for 1 year

[OmbreGracieuse]

In this case, is it incorrect for me to think that his LOR would count for a lot, simply because he isn't a professor and I haven't had a "real job"?

I think that would be okay. I plan on having at least one from my employer (I'll have been there three years when I apply) HOWEVER my director wrote me a LOR for an internship when I had only been there one year. I got the internship, so it didn't hurt.