<p>UPenn offers the option of an alumni interview if someone wants to take advantage of it. When I wanted to set this up in November, they said I should formally apply before they could arrange this. Now, I have applied, but they told me it’s too late in the process. Adding to this, I go to NYU and they told me that they probably don’t have an alumni commmittee in my area, which I find hard to believe considering it’s New York City. Nonetheless, they said the interview is typically just an information session and they would prefer a letter of recommendation from someone who would know you better. I have worked at Best Buy the past two years and I have a letter of recommendation from my manager. Would this be the best type of recommendation that I could send or would another source be a better fit? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!</p>
<p>It is correct to say that an interview is merely an information session- it will not hurt you if you don’t have an interview, and pestering them for one can’t help you either. Aside from the job at Best Buy, have you had any other academic, intellectual, or other extracurricular pursuits? Letters from managers, I’m sure, can not be detrimental, however, a Best Buy manager is not a person who makes his or her livelihood in the academic world. Past recommendations I’ve used included a piano teacher, chairman of a political committee with whom I interned, and a local college professor whom I worked with on a winter project. Try and see if you can find anything along those lines before sending a letter from your boss. Good luck!</p>
<p>I sent in extra recs from high school teachers, espically since i go to a huge school and can’t connect with my professors as well as I did with my high school teahcers.</p>
<p>Transfer admissions are about progression. I would have to disagree with the statement that recs from high school teachers are a good idea. I’m not an authority, just my opinion.</p>
<p>i think that for some people transfer admissions is about progress, but for others, it is realizing that your current college doesnt offer things that you need it to (i.e. accessible professors, concentration programs one is interested in, access to resources in related fields, etc). My high school teachers know me so much better than my GSIs who rush through discussion once a week. I think that they could better evaluate my intellictual maturity and strenghts than could a sleep-deprived grad-student could</p>
<p>You’re right- it’s really case by case with recommendations and transferring. For my apps, I wanted to show the colleges I could do well with college classes and professors. I became quick friends with the political science chairman at my school, and we still go out weekly for coffee or lunch, though I suppose some people may have gotten the short end of the straw and wound up with huge lecture classes and Ph.D. students teaching instead of real professors. good luck.</p>
<p>What recommendations have you already submitted? If you had to guess at how strong they were, what would you guess? If you send an additional recommendation, what other possibilities do you have besides the Best Buy manager (which may be a very good option, btw)? It really depends on what you’ve already submitted.</p>
<p>For my application I sent 4 recommendations. </p>
<ol>
<li>My advisor, who really likes me and also happened to be my economics professor for a semester. </li>
<li>One of my philosophy teachers that I had for two semesters. He told me that the recommendation was really good, claiming it’s his forte. </li>
<li>Another from a philosophy teacher that I had who always used my papers as the class example and actually asked me to be in his seminar class next year. </li>
<li>My Calc II teacher. I chose her because I got a B in the class (my lowest grade in college), but I put an obvious effort throughout the class by going to her office hours and asking questions. She actually told me right before the final in the middle of a problem that I was the hardest working student she has ever had. </li>
</ol>
<p>I applied as an Economics major in the College, but most of my recommendations were in foundational courses because it’s all I have really taken. </p>
<p>Do you think I should send the one from my manager or would that be overkill?</p>