I Haven't Been in School for 13 Years...Where Do I Get LORs?

[JamesInDC]

I graduated from university way back in 1999. I need to get three (3) LORs. Unfortunately, several of the professors i was seeking LORs from have passed away. I have been working all this time, but in a field that's unrelated to the Master's program I'm seeking admission into.

I did get a relevant Certificate in the field 3 years ago. Should I ask the instructor for a LOR? Who else can I ask?? I would need two (2) more.

Thanks.

[fuzzylogician]

The kinds of letters that would be acceptable depends on the kind of program you're applying to. If it's a professional program, you can have more professional LORs and less academic ones. If it's a research-oriented one, they'll want more academic references. You also want letters with content that's relevant for the degree you're applying to so again it depends on what you did for work and the certificate and what you're applying to now. My guess would be, get the letter from the Certificate instructor. Get one from your boss at work, if you can. For the third letter, who can give you a strong letter that is relevant to the Masters? Maybe someone else at the Certificate program you took? Maybe it could be a general letter from someone at your undergrad institution? Maybe another letter from a supervisor at work? It's hard to know which is best without having more information.

[emmm]

Sometimes it's worth taking more classes to establish relationships to get letters (if you have time). That's what I did. I graduated from college even before you did, but while many of my profs are still at my school, I am not the person they (might) remember anymore. So, I got letters from people who know me now, even though the schools they work at were less "well-known" than my undergrad college. While one interviewer did tell me that my letters were not from the level of recommender they normally look for, I did get an offer (from a different program), so not every program will automatically discard your application if your choice/selection of recommendation writers is less than ideal. That sounds awful, but some programs are snobby. I had wonderful people writing for me, and I sincerely appreciate their efforts on my behalf.