No Professor LOR, What's Your Experience?

[ChasingMavericks]

Hello all! I am really hoping for a little advice on the subject here.

 

So I will start by saying, yes I did jump into the graduate school process a little late for some personal reasons. So there, I was definitely not as prepared as most the people on this site. That's out in the open! So I realize I should have started earlier, but it's too late now.

 

I have reached out to the 3 professors who know me and my work the best since (as many of the professors I had were online for my major courses and I'm now 2 years graduated) and I haven't heard responses from them. The first one I had been attempting to get ahold of since November, and I finally decided I needed to reach out to the other two in December when I still wasn't hearing from the first one. If they don't want to write me a LOR that's totally fine, I understand. 

 

I was able to ensure that I would have 4 LOR from other sources (director of career services at undergrad who was my supervisor for 4 years and was the dean of students when I was at the school, previous hospital internship supervisor, and 2 more from both of my current supervisors at my public health job). 

 

My first two deadlines are coming up on January 3rd and January 15th. I'm thinking with the holidays it will probably be likely I won't hear from the professors in time (plus it's now just a really late turn around anyway), so I just wanted to see others experience with applications not including a professor as a LOR. Have you had luck getting in? Have you had bad experiences?

 

I'm a MPH applicant for health education and promotion programs. 

 

University of Arizona Jan 3

Claremont Graduate University Jan 15

 

[MsDarjeeling]

While yes having LOR's from professors is ideal adcoms get that some people graduate and enter the working world and are unable to get ahold of professors or they decline.  If you're working in the field you want to pursue graduate study in then LOR's from those supervisors can be very helpful to you.