Am I doomed?

[polsgoals]

Hey all

So I'm applying to phd programs in political science and generally think my profile is pretty good, my only concern is with one letter of recommendation. I've been out of school for nearly a decade and kept in touch with and have fabulous letters from two professors but my third LOR is from my employer. I know it's also a great, and very supportive, letter but am concerned that because it isn't from a university faculty member that I will be at a disadvantage. Does anyone have any insight into this?

 

Thanks!

[sethbwa]

LORs are an opportunity for your colleagues to advocate for you. Worst case, you only have two instead of three, and are at a slight disadvantage. (I.e., nothing that would sink you.)

But I really wouldn't worry. They know you can't keep up with everyone for ten years. A professional rec might even be somewhat appropriate in your case. I've only worked in undergrad admissions, but my experience there leads me to believe that the wisdom against professional recs is because most business-world letters are pretty boilerplate. Graduate school is a professional undertaking. If your boss can cite examples of your adaptability, work ethic, self-direction, etc., I'm sure the committee will receive it favorably. (Again, worst case, they ignore it.)

Edited December 5, 2017 by sethbwa

[guest56436]

Doomed? Definitely not. Will it hurt? Perhaps. But then again, you've been out of the academic game for 10 years, what would people expect?

Nothing you can do about it. Relax and try not to stress over the applications (easier said than done, I know). 

[polsgoals]

Thanks for the responses. I'm trying to keep a clear head about it as I know there's nothing I can really do about (especially this late in the application process). This process is so stressful and is starting to get the best of me ? 

[StrengthandHonor]

As others have said, any disadvantage you have for having one non-academic letter is essentially, equal to the disadvantage of being out of academia for a decade. Most schools would rather have a recent letter from a non-academic recommender who can attest to your recent work/qualities, rather than three letters from people you worked with most a decade or more ago.

Don't stress about it.