LoR from industry?

[RP15]

Hey everyone,

 

I'll be having LoRs from two professors... (field EE)

 

 

Currently though, I am working at Intel. Would it be a good idea to get a LoR from my mentor, she's been working at Intel for about a decade now, and I basically report to her.

 

 

There's just so much emphasis on "Make sure a professor writes it!!!!".... But I fail to see how professional experience in general isn't as good. What really matters is work ethic right?

[Sigaba]

Hey, Ricardo--

IME working at two engineering firms, the work ethic of the public sector is vastly different than the work ethic of the Ivory Tower. The private sector rarely values knowledge for its own sake. The metrics determining the "bottom line" in the Ivory Tower don't center around profit loss statements.

Unless your contact at Intel also has extensive experience as an academic, admissions committees may not give her LOR the same consideration as one written by a fellow academic.

[RP15]

That is correct... I agree

 

sigh.. Three LoRs can be so stressful. I've only gotten to know two professors.

 

I did two REUs, but I rarely spoke to the profs and it's only for 10 weeks.

 

Not sure what to do now

[CageFree]

Is this for a MS or for a PhD? My understanding with engineering is that the MS programs tend to be more geared toward industry, whereas PhDs are research-based. If it's the former, and you don't have a third letter writer, something from the field might be okay, especially if you've been out of school for a while. If it's the latter, it might be a bit more of a problem.