Reference Letters? 2 Academic?

[Tiff_y]

Hello there,

I was reading on the OLSAS website that while one academic reference letter is required, 2 academic reference letters are preferred. I have 2 professors in mind that would be willing to write me a reference letter; however, I also have a varsity coach and an employer at my current university that would be more than willing to write me strong reference letters, as I have displayed strong work ethic in both areas.

Do you have any suggestions as to what law schools might prefer? 2 academic reference letters, or a combination of academic, varsity and work/employment-related fields. I feel that the combination provides a true representation of myself, but I can be swayed if Law schools put more weight and favour academic reference letters.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you,
Tiffany

[Andrew Ash]

Hi Tiffany,

Thank you for your post! And congratulations on being in the enviable position of having four reference letter writers to choose from.

I would agree with the OLSAS website that two academic references is ideal. Law schools are different from undergraduate institutions in that their admissions process is much more academically focused. When an admissions officer reads your application, the only thought in their mind is, "Is this candidate a strong academic performer?" For that reason, having two academic reference letters will definitely work to your advantage.

In order to give a more well-rounded picture of you as a candidate, consider asking your two professors to focus on two different themes. Perhaps one remembers you best as a strong writer, while the other saw you give a particularly engaging class presentation. Highlighting a variety of academic strengths will set you up for the strongest possible application. And certainly there's no harm in asking one of your non-academic references to write a third letter; just make sure that the first two are academic, since you have the option.

The only situation where I would consider advising fewer than two academic references is for a student who's been out of college many years, and even then, it would be a toss-up. But it sounds like you are currently in college, so two academic references is definitely the way to go.

Hope this helps!

Thanks,
Andrew