Letter of Recommendation: Do I need 2 academic references? Forum

[semicollante]

I graduated from college in 2010, and graduated from grad school in May 2011. I worked full time during this time (but it's hard to get a letter from the employer), and I have been working full time for a company from December of last year. Do I have to have 2 academic references, or can one reference come from my current boss?

[pupshaw]

Academic recs are strongly preferred. You've only just left school, and grad school at that--surely there are two faculty members there you can ask.

[paul34]

..

[Holly Golightly]

I used work references instead of academic, and I do not think it affected my app cycle in the least.

[xChiTowNx]

How about a letter from a TA? I was an Eng major in in his bio class and interacted with him more than the prof, would that be fine for academic?

[benito]

I've seen schools specifically mention that TA's or GA's are ok as academic references if, as you said, they are more personally familiar with you and your work. But in general it really does not matter nearly to the extent we all stress about it. What matters are your numbers, letters of rec make no difference unless they are absent or negative.