What to do if you're years removed from bachelors and need letters of recommendation?

[ftqerm]

I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find any information.

 

I graduated with my bachelors in 2008, and even though I always wanted to go to graduate school, I didn't keep any ties with my professors. I've been working in the industry ever since, and we only have one engineer who is higher than me, not including my boss (who is also an engineer).

 

I'm having a tough time figuring out what to do and would hope you guys can help me in trying to figure out what to do about finding letters of recommendation. Thanks for your time!

[Portia]

I am in the same boat. I wrote to some schools and asked them if I can get letters from professionals I have been working with (I'm a researcher), so far no one replied back answering my question clearly. I will keep an eye on this thread.

[Guest criminologist]

have you tried to go to the school's website and find the emails of the professors whose class you took and email them?

[ak48]

Tough, you should have kept in touch with the professors especially if you knew about grad school plans. Are there any that would still know you? You don't want to get the generic letter.

 

I know some schools accept LoR's from industry people for applicants removed many years from school. Perhaps you could do 2 industry letters and 1 academic one. Check the policy of each school you are targetting, and ask the offices if necessar.

[wtncffts]

Yes, I would first try to contact the profs you were closest with in undergrad, you might be surprised at how much they remember. You can help this by providing as much information as possible about what courses you took, what you did in those courses, etc. 

[Shaman]

that is not a problem.

I could tell that you did not try to call the profs in your undergrad school before you posted here. 

many profs have a notebook or website to records all his student's grade。

When i stopped my prof's office to ask for RL, he asked my name and the course i took from him. Then he found out a notebook seeing that I got A in his class, and he said no problem i would provide RL for you.

That's it

[wsc215]

The best way is to take a graduate level class as a nondegree part time student, get an A+, make sure to drop by for office hours, then ask for a recommendation.

[ak48]

that is not a problem.

I could tell that you did not try to call the profs in your undergrad school before you posted here. 

many profs have a notebook or website to records all his student's grade。

When i stopped my prof's office to ask for RL, he asked my name and the course i took from him. Then he found out a notebook seeing that I got A in his class, and he said no problem i would provide RL for you.

That's it

 

the problem isn't getting a recommendation, it's getting a good one. Recommendations are generally very important, so it's important to get at least one stellar one if you want to get accepted to a good school.

 

if the only reason the professor knows your name is because you exist in a database, then your recommendation will likely come across as generic, boring and bland. After all, how could your professor (truthfully) say anything about you that's interesting if he doesn't know you?

[CaptainLola]

I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find any information.

 

I graduated with my bachelors in 2008, and even though I always wanted to go to graduate school, I didn't keep any ties with my professors. I've been working in the industry ever since, and we only have one engineer who is higher than me, not including my boss (who is also an engineer).

 

I'm having a tough time figuring out what to do and would hope you guys can help me in trying to figure out what to do about finding letters of recommendation. Thanks for your time!

 

Hi there, I was in a similar situation, except that my last completed courses were in 2006. The small print in the application process at the grad school I applied to said that if you've graduated more than 6 years ago, academic references aren't necessary.

 

Actually, in my situation it was a bit worse, because on paper I'd graduated in 2011 after taking a summer course to complete my degree where frankly I couldn't even remember the name of the lecturing prof and he certainly wouldn't remember me at all. In any case it turned out fine when it came to applying.

 

You should feel free to call up the offices for the program you're applying to clarify the requirement for academic recommendation for someone in your position.

 

You could get recommendations from people you've volunteered with or under and work supervisors. Also, go through your list of professionals that you are friends with or who have known you over the years - would any of them be able to speak to the qualities that make you a good grad candidate (creativity, flexibility, time-management etc)? Do you know anyone else who's in the field you're applying to? Or have you collaborated on projects with anyone who could speak favourably about you?

Edited April 22, 2013 by CaptainLola

[midnight]

I graduated in 2008 as well, and I had no problem asking four professors for LORs. They all remembered me, and they were all happy to write letters for me.

 

My advice: Make sure you have your SOP (at least a rough draft) ready for them as well as your CV. Remind them of any work or projects you did with or for them and any awards you won at your school or other ways you participated in the department. Scan any problem sets or research papers from their classes in case they need a refresher of the quality of your work. Just make sure to prepare and present information about yourself for the profs you ask so they can write the best letters for you.

 

I don't think most people keep in touch with professors once they've graduated or forge long-term relationships with them (I certainly didn't; I moved away, started working, etc.). Perhaps you should have since you knew you wanted to attend graduate school, but you didn't for whatever reason, so don't sweat it now. Also, you have valuable work experience and a solid professional resume. That's important, too, and will help strengthen your application along with your LORs, GPA, GRE, and SOP.

Edited April 22, 2013 by midnight

[margarets]

I approached professors for recommendations 14 YEARS after graduation - and that's not even the record for that program, some grads have asked for LoRs more than 20 years later.  So just go for it.  Comments I heard from program secretaries made it clear that profs get these requests all the time, it's no biggie.

 

When they get your request, the secretary will pull your file for the prof to review.  Have your CV up to date because your recommenders will want to see it.

 

If you were a reasonably good student, your request will be totally appropriate.

[free_radical]

I applied this past cycle, 3-4 years out of industry, and it was intimidating to email some professors.  I had done well in some classes and knew the professor had liked me, but I hadn't really kept that closely in touch.  It felt like I was saying "Hi, I took your class 3 years ago, do you remember me?  Can you write me an LOR?" (In a more professional tone obviously lol)  It was fine though, the professor was happy to help, and was understanding of the situation.  I guess I was lucky in that I only had to do this with one recommendation - I was fortunate enough to have relevant work experience with employers who both liked me and were supportive of my decision to leave and get a PhD.  

 

I ended up getting into 4/6 schools, some of them top 10, and I even switched fields...so it was obviously fine.  It is also not uncommon for students to work and then go back for a PhD, met several of those at my visit weekends.  

[emmm]

I graduated over 20 years ago, so when I was applying to grad school, I took classes at a local CC first and got letters from profs there. I was also able to get an internship at a state U, so another letter from that. It took time and effort, but it was worth it. I had some wonderful experiences and met some amazing people.