Applying to Grad School Later in Life
Tips for folks looking to get that degree when they are a bit seasoned.
I am super-excited to be sharing the third piece in The Human Condition’s new Ask the Psychology Professor series!
S. from the northeast, who is a subscriber to The Human Condition, asks the following:
For adults looking to continue education in grad school, most (if not all) graduate programs require letters of recommendation from former professors. For adult alumni who are a few years post undergrad completion, what might be a prudent and respectful approach for reaching out to former professors, with whom many adult alumni have not been in recent contact, when seeking letters of recommendation?
Dear S.,
This question is great and is actually something that comes up more often than one might think. I’d say that at least once a year I get am contacted by an alum from years past. In my career, I’ve taught at eight different universities. And I started teaching in 1994. And I have always gone out of my way to make it clear that I’m always happy to write students (who deserve it!) solid letters of recommendation—at any point moving forward. Further, I recently published a book with the American Psychological Association titled Own Your Psychology Major! A Guide to Student Success, which includes all kinds of tips for applying to graduate programs. So you can see how I see the issue that you raise here first-hand with some regularity.
A few key points to know about this process—bulleted below for easy digestion:
Nearly all university faculty members (i.e., professors) who are currently employed have their contact information (including email addresses) posted on their institution’s website.
Similarly, nearly all university faculty members have their current office hours posted on their institution’s website.
If a student did well in someone’s class and perhaps made an impression beyond the classroom (e.g., attending extra-curricular events organized by that particular professor), most (although not all, TBH) professors will be happy (once their memories are jogged!) to support an alum in this capacity.
Don’t be discouraged if a professor does not get back to you or declines the request; as with anything else, this kind of thing happens. Be ready for some of that and simply move on in such situations. This kind of request may be declined for so many reasons. But there is no harm in asking.
This all said, I think it might be useful to take some space to discuss a few no-no’s when it comes to asking for letters of recommendation.
No-No’s in Asking for Letters of Recommendation
Don’t put down a professor’s name and contact info in an application if you have not first cleared doing so with the professor. I have seen students do this on a few occasions. It catches the professor off-guard and, to put it simply, it comes across as kind of presumptuous and is not a great look. The last thing you want to do when asking for a letter is to have the professor question your judgment.
Make sure that the folks you ask to write letters for you are professors with whom you have had academic experience (e.g., someone who was your instructor, advisor, research mentor, etc.). Asking people who do not fit this criterion can be risky. For instance, I once sat on an admissions committee and examined an application in which the student included a letter from a manager from a job that was totally unrelated to the content of the graduate degree. I was personally OK with that (the letter-writer spoke to the individual’s work ethic, which I personally saw as highly pertinent), but let’s just say that not everyone on the committee was. Note: The only exception to this rule that I’ll recommend would be that it is often considered appropriate to obtain a letter from an internship supervisor (in the field related to the degree) or someone in a similar professional position.
Bottom Line
Applying to graduate school a bit later in life is more common than one might think. In terms of the logistics of asking professors from one’s by-gone undergraduate days, realize that nearly all faculty have contact information as well as information regarding their current office hours posted on their university’s website. If you did well in a professor’s course like 10 years ago, a good proportion of professors will gladly agree to write a letter (even if you have to kind of remind them of who you are). And remember, your tuition dollars helped to put food on that person’s table at some point.
Educators go into Education largely to teach and support the next generation of leaders. Writing letters of recommendation to help alumni get into graduate programs fits fully with this broader mission. So realize that even if it seems awkward (Hi….you might not remember me….I took your Stats class when you taught in Oregon in Fall of 1999…), it is a fully appropriate ask. And if you’re proactive, professional, and resilient, my guess is that it should work out. Good luck, S.!
I hope that you find that answer helpful and thought-provoking—and I thank you deeply for your question!
Thank you so much for reaching out to Ask The Psychology Professor!
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