LoR Advice needed

[amyeray]

Hello All,

I'm having a problem with which direction to take for my letters of recommendation. I need three total and 1 is my mentor for my undergrad, the other is my supervisor at work (who is also one of the VPs of the company I work for) and I'm stuck between two different people for my third. The first two references know me very well and have watched my undergrad and professional careers closely. With that in mind, for my third should I:

I have one of the owners of the company I work for write one. He knows me and my work really well and could write a good letter.

my other option is a little more complex, but long story short it would be someone who is more influential in the field of study I'm going into but does not know me as well as the owner of the company I work for. He would be a work related reference and definitely knows very well the scope of work I do, but does not know me personally very well.

So which do I go with... More influential in my field but doesn't know me well (but does know my job well), or Owner of the company I work for?

Any advice would be great, thanks!

[jasper.milvain]

Go with the one who can best attest to your ability to do research and excel in advanced studies. I assume that your work is directly related to your studies. If it isn't, drop the work references altogether.

[amyeray]

No, my work is not related to the field I want to go into. I'm looking to major in something different from what I studied in undergrad. If I don't use work references and my undergraduate work isn't related to the area I want to go into for graduate study then where do I get references from?

Do several years of professional experience really just not matter if its not within the exact same field?

[jasper.milvain]

No, my work is not related to the field I want to go into. I'm looking to major in something different from what I studied in undergrad. If I don't use work references and my undergraduate work isn't related to the area I want to go into for graduate study then where do I get references from?

You still get references from your undergraduate professors. If you haven't spoken to them in a while, try dropping by their office hours or e-mailing them an update about what you have been doing since graduation. Even if you're changing fields, there are still several useful things that they can attest to: your research skills, writing ability, and scholarly potential. Many LOR forms have fields that work supervisors are not qualified to comment on, like your teaching potential. There are cases where work references would be good--if you're going for an Ed degree and have people who have observed your teaching, or even if you worked in a biology research lab run by academics but are now applying for a different science field. If you're applying for a professional master's, things may be different. But if you're applying for a research degree, you need references from researchers (that is, academics).

I can't parse the degree you have listed on the side there, though, so my advice may be way off. What field are you applying to study? If it's business related, work references might work, but I'd check with the folks on the business board.

Do several years of professional experience really just not matter if its not within the exact same field?

Non-academic experience is hugely helpful in a number of intangible ways, but it does not generally help you get admitted (except potentially to professional or business degrees). I know a woman who worked for years in naturopathic health, for example. She is working on a PhD in the rhetoric of health. Her years of work gave her tons of valuable background, maturity, experience with people, and a broad sense of the discourse. That's absolutely not what got her admitted, though. Her undergraduate grades and references got her in, and her experience is helping her succeed and finish.

You can mention your professional experience and how you feel it has prepared you for graduate work in your SOP, and you can list your professional experience on your CV. But your references need to be from academics.