How many LORs do I need? Forum

[trqdor]

Hi - I've got two LORs lined up from undergrad professors who i have good relationships with, and I'm wonder if I would benefit from a third from either another professor or an attorney/partner at the firm i work in now. I've worked in the firm for a little over a year, and based on the performance review i had three months ago, i don't expect it to be anything special. it would essentially be a "look what i've been up to for the past year and a half" type of LOR submission.

the other professor LOR im thinking about would be from a professor outside of my major/discipline who i took two classes with. im sure a LOR from this professor wouldnt be extravagant either (basically, it would just say that i was a good and enthusiastic student that killed both her classes), but it may offer a different perspective that the other two LORs wouldn't touch on.

if two LORs is the ideal, then im in no dilemma. if a third is good to have, which one would be the better addition? thanks.

[benwyatt]

Post removed.

[KMart]

Some schools only accept two. A third isn't the worst idea. I think it's better to go with the employer in your case. Academic letters are generally preferred by law school adcomms, but you have two of those. Ultimately go with whomever will write the better letter, but if it's a toss up, like it sounds, then stick with the professional to get that aspect touched upon.

[trqdor]

mmm thanks for the input. i was just browsing the columbia applicants thread and noticed that columbia requires a LOR from an employer if i'm currently employed... sounds like i may have to look into this.

[jetsfan1]

Go with the two, especially since it sounds like whichever one you pick as a third would be run of the mill. Asha makes a good point about this somewhere (too lazy to go find it). She says something along the lines of an average candidate's ideal amount of letters is 2.4. This is because often someone submits 2 stellar, out of this world letters saying they are smarter then Einstein but then add the third which is meh, just average. And she makes the point that this really takes away from the other two, because why couldn't you impress this third person as much? She of course says it more elegantly then I, but I think its a pretty relevant point here.