Letter of rec for internship inquiry

[psychanator]

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Hi all,

I have a question regarding letters of recommendation for internship. Is it expected to have a letter of rec for the site you are at the time you are applying for internship? If so (or if not so), it is strange to get a letter from a site you were only at for two months before applying (i.e. if you start over the summer before internship apps) - would internship sites take that letter seriously, AND, assuming you are deserving of a letter, would a supervisor be willing (or even expected) so write a letter for apps after such a short time?

Thanks!

 

[songthatneverends]

Hi all,

I have a question regarding letters of recommendation for internship. Is it expected to have a letter of rec for the site you are at the time you are applying for internship? If so (or if not so), it is strange to get a letter from a site you were only at for two months before applying (i.e. if you start over the summer before internship apps) - would internship sites take that letter seriously, AND, assuming you are deserving of a letter, would a supervisor be willing (or even expected) so write a letter for apps after such a short time?

Thanks!

I would say people often ask their current supervisor for a letter. I think one way to open the conversation early on (when you first start) is to talk about what they would like you to demonstrate before mid oct (when the letter needs to be in the system) for them to feel comfortable writing a strong letter of rec. You want strong letters whether that is from an advisor you've know for four years or a supervisor you've worked with for four months.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Is it common? Yes. Is it absolutely necessary? No, particularly if you've only been there a couple months, although it'd still be fine to get one in that case, assuming your two other letter writers have worked with you for longer periods of time.

The one caveat I'll add is that it would definitely be unusual, and potentially viewed as a red flag, if you'd been at your current site for a while (e.g., six months or a year) but didn't get a letter from the supervisor.

 

[psychanator]

Thanks guys! I am hoping to get a letter of rec from the person I work with at the time I apply to internship (assuming the working relationship is great and all), I just wanted to make sure that would be acceptable given the time that I am there will be so short prior to app deadlines.

 

[463951]

Is it common? Yes. Is it absolutely necessary? No, particularly if you've only been there a couple months, although it'd still be fine to get one in that case, assuming your two other letter writers have worked with you for longer periods of time.

The one caveat I'll add is that it would definitely be unusual, and potentially viewed as a red flag, if you'd been at your current site for a while (e.g., six months or a year) but didn't get a letter from the supervisor.

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I was wondering how bad it will look that I did not get a LOR from the practicum site I was at last year (I was there 9 months). This is for post-doc applications. I am submitting a LOR from my current internship site, and the other two letters are from practicum sites prior to the one I was at last year. Thanks in advance.