Question about Academic Reference Letters

[Jules_SLP]

Hi. I am only in second year undergrad but thinking ahead to prepare for applying to SLP programs. For the Academic Letters of Reference I understand that they want someone that can speak to you academic abilities. Would this include a professor that you did research work for but did not take a course with. I would think this is ok because research work is academic. However, I thought I once heard or read that reference needs to be someone that you took a uni course with. The UofT website just says that it needs to be a full-time faculty member. 

 

 

 

[dawnoo24]

Hi, I'm not sure if this response will help, but academic references do tend to be professors who've taught you so that they can speak to your ability to complete academic work in grad school. That being said, my academic references were professors who I took courses with and did research under, and they wrote mostly about my soft skills (because they were able to observe me outside of the classroom) and my preparedness for the coursework. I think any reference who can assess you from an academic perspective (ie. as someone in academia themselves, do they see you as capable) should count, and the most important thing is how well they know you which doesn't have to be limited to the classroom. However, if you're still unsure, always contact the school themselves! Especially since you're preparing so far in advance. Good luck!