Advice on my letters of recommendations

[Pico25]

I graduated in 2015 from a UC school and have been working mostly in biotech since graduation. So far I have gotten a letter of recommendation from the CEO of the small biotech startup that I worked at for 2 years (she is PhD). I shadowed a pediatrician for about 40hrs and he has agreed to write me a letter (though I keep having to remind him).

My question is who else should I ask and how many do I really need? My understanding was that 3 should be sufficient but some school accept up to 5. As far as college professors go I haven't been in school for 6 years, the majority of my classes were 150+ students. The upper division classes that were smaller I'm fairly doubtful the professors would remember me, there is one who does but he never responds to emails so it would be quite painful to get a letter from him, but I could try.

As far as other people I could ask, my supervisor from another company that I worked at for about a year, or my current one where I've worked for less than 6 months. Or someone else maybe? There is a supervisor from my volunteering that could probably do one, I just don't know if that's a good choice.

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[clumsy.md]

Your letters from the CEO and the clinician both sound like good letters. Three to five letters is ideal. I think your predicament is simply not having a letter from a professor who taught you. Many schools have LOR requirements asking specifically for at least one letter from a science professor (and sometimes a non-science). However, many committees understand that non-trads may not have that option anymore so they may be flexible. You should email a few of the schools you intend to apply to and see what they recommend.

Why would a volunteering supervisor not be a good choice? It will help round-out your letters and shows a commitment to the community. You've already secured a letter from one of your employers so no need for another one.

 

[Moko]

I graduated in 2015 from a UC school and have been working mostly in biotech since graduation. So far I have gotten a letter of recommendation from the CEO of the small biotech startup that I worked at for 2 years (she is PhD). I shadowed a pediatrician for about 40hrs and he has agreed to write me a letter (though I keep having to remind him).

My question is who else should I ask and how many do I really need? My understanding was that 3 should be sufficient but some school accept up to 5. As far as college professors go I haven't been in school for 6 years, the majority of my classes were 150+ students. The upper division classes that were smaller I'm fairly doubtful the professors would remember me, there is one who does but he never responds to emails so it would be quite painful to get a letter from him, but I could try.

As far as other people I could ask, my supervisor from another company that I worked at for about a year, or my current one where I've worked for less than 6 months. Or someone else maybe? There is a supervisor from my volunteering that could probably do one, I just don't know if that's a good choice.

My thoughts:
- As a non-trad, you should get a letter from a recent employer.
- Don't bother getting a shadowing letter unless a school you're interested in specifically asks for one. They almost never add anything of substance to an application.
- Volunteering letters similarly tend to lack impact unless you did something noteworthy and have a close relationship with the supervisor.
- Many schools want to see evidence of recent coursework. Have you considered taking some additional classes, which will also give you an opportunity to get good letters from professors?
- Since you are already grasping at straws, you should plan to submit only your best letters that will fulfill the schools' minimum LOR requirements. Sending additional lukewarm letters beyond this minimum will only hurt your application. More is not better in this case. Just my thoughts and best of luck.

 

[Pico25]

Ok thanks, I will get a letter from a more recent employer and try to contact some of my professors from upper divisions where class size was smaller. I'll send them my unofficial transcripts and see if I can jog their memory.