3rd LOR or stick with 2? Forum
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sfamor
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 11:27 pm
3rd LOR or stick with 2?
I have two recommenders right now. One was my academic adviser and also a professor I took a class with while getting my Masters in Social Welfare at UC Berkeley. My second is my supervisor from my most recent job which is social work related. Both recommendations should be pretty strong, but I'm debating about whether I should get a third. I am thinking of asking an attorney that I worked with closely while at an internship at Legal Aid. My internship was, again, social work related, but I was working directly with this lawyer to assist the clients that she was representing in legal matters. The internship ended about 3.5 years ago, although I've stayed in touch. While I think she would write a good rec it will probably be the most general of the three. However, I think it might be worth it though to have someone who is a lawyer write a rec to balance out the two from social workers. What do you guys think?
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Opie
- Posts: 1353
- Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2011 1:27 pm
Re: 3rd LOR or stick with 2?
The credentials of the person writing the LOR don't matter as much as how they know you. Most schools want ACADEMIC LORs, so I would find a professor that you took a class or two from and get a rec from that person. Especially people who will be able to comment on your ability to write, understand difficult material, work hard, and think critically. Your English Composition professor is better than a Supreme Court Justice if you didn't work closely with the Justice.sfamor wrote:I have two recommenders right now. One was my academic adviser and also a professor I took a class with while getting my Masters in Social Welfare at UC Berkeley. My second is my supervisor from my most recent job which is social work related. Both recommendations should be pretty strong, but I'm debating about whether I should get a third. I am thinking of asking an attorney that I worked with closely while at an internship at Legal Aid. My internship was, again, social work related, but I was working directly with this lawyer to assist the clients that she was representing in legal matters. The internship ended about 3.5 years ago, although I've stayed in touch. While I think she would write a good rec it will probably be the most general of the three. However, I think it might be worth it though to have someone who is a lawyer write a rec to balance out the two from social workers. What do you guys think?
