Letters of Recommendation - Strictly Academic?

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SUMMARY

Graduate school applications often prioritize letters of recommendation from academic sources, creating uncertainty for candidates with industry experience. A candidate with a BA in Physics, currently interning in R&D, seeks advice on requesting a recommendation from a senior scientist who is also a former professor. The discussion highlights that while academic recommendations are preferred, industry professionals with relevant experience can still provide valuable insights, especially if they are familiar with the academic expectations of such letters.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of graduate school application processes
  • Familiarity with the role of letters of recommendation
  • Knowledge of the expectations for academic versus industry references
  • Awareness of how to approach potential recommenders
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the specific requirements for letters of recommendation for graduate programs in Physics
  • Learn how to effectively communicate with potential recommenders about your experiences
  • Explore the impact of industry experience on academic applications
  • Investigate best practices for writing and formatting letters of recommendation
USEFUL FOR

Prospective graduate students, particularly those with industry experience, academic advisors, and anyone involved in the graduate school application process.

ThereIam
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Hi all,

I got a BA in Physics, and am almost a year out of school. I have noticed whilst perusing graduate school websites that most emphasize that they want letters of recommendation from academic settings.

I landed an internship in R&D after school, and I was wondering how inappropriate it would be to request a letter from a senior scientist that I work with.

I was sort of hoping that the emphasis on "academic" recommendations would be to weed out people's bosses at totally non-physics type work.

What do you think/what have you experienced?
 
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It depends on whether or not this prospective recommender has ever done this before - they are looking for certain things in these letters.
 
Hi, and thanks for the reply. The person in question is a former professor (though he has spent most of his time in industry, I believe) so I would not be surprised if he has written them before. I was more concerned that his experience with me a work setting wouldn't be what they were interested in, but perhaps that concern is ill-founded?
 

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