Letters of Recommendation - Strictly Academic?

ThereIam · Mar 6, 2013

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?

Vanadium 50 · Mar 6, 2013

It depends on whether or not this prospective recommender has ever done this before - they are looking for certain things in these letters.

ThereIam · Mar 12, 2013

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?

Letters of Recommendation - Strictly Academic?

Discussion

Similar threads

How do instructors feel about writing letters of recommendation for students?

What to write in letters of recommendation?

Is it weird to give a thank-you gift for letters of recommendation?

Letters of Recommendation for Non-Traditional Student

Schools Graduate school letters of recommendation?

Schools Letters of recommendation from non-native English speakers (US schools)

Schools Letters of recommendation for grad school applications

Getting letters of recommendation for REU applications

How Do You Secure REU Letters of Recommendation During Winter Break?

Should I review my letters of recommendation before submitting them?