Master's References??
I'm looking to apply for my Master's at the moment, and I'm applying to three universities. For two of them, I only need one reference, but for the other one, it says I need two. I'm planning on emailing my former advisor to ask them to provide me one reference but I'm not sure who to email for the second one.
I graduated last year from my undergraduate degree, and my course department was quite small + I often had lectures in other schools where I didn't really know the staff as well. One of my favourite lectures now works at a different lecturer so I was wondering if that would be an acceptable reference. Would I just email him at his academic email address?? I feel like I'm kind of overthinking this??
I also noticed on the applicant portals that most on most of my applications, I need to upload my references myself as opposed to providing my referees' details and having them send it over, which I always assumed was the way it was done, so now I'm a little confused??
I graduated last year from my undergraduate degree, and my course department was quite small + I often had lectures in other schools where I didn't really know the staff as well. One of my favourite lectures now works at a different lecturer so I was wondering if that would be an acceptable reference. Would I just email him at his academic email address?? I feel like I'm kind of overthinking this??
I also noticed on the applicant portals that most on most of my applications, I need to upload my references myself as opposed to providing my referees' details and having them send it over, which I always assumed was the way it was done, so now I'm a little confused??
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Original post
by jemima0103I'm looking to apply for my Master's at the moment, and I'm applying to three universities. For two of them, I only need one reference, but for the other one, it says I need two. I'm planning on emailing my former advisor to ask them to provide me one reference but I'm not sure who to email for the second one.
I graduated last year from my undergraduate degree, and my course department was quite small + I often had lectures in other schools where I didn't really know the staff as well. One of my favourite lectures now works at a different lecturer so I was wondering if that would be an acceptable reference. Would I just email him at his academic email address?? I feel like I'm kind of overthinking this??
I also noticed on the applicant portals that most on most of my applications, I need to upload my references myself as opposed to providing my referees' details and having them send it over, which I always assumed was the way it was done, so now I'm a little confused??
I graduated last year from my undergraduate degree, and my course department was quite small + I often had lectures in other schools where I didn't really know the staff as well. One of my favourite lectures now works at a different lecturer so I was wondering if that would be an acceptable reference. Would I just email him at his academic email address?? I feel like I'm kind of overthinking this??
I also noticed on the applicant portals that most on most of my applications, I need to upload my references myself as opposed to providing my referees' details and having them send it over, which I always assumed was the way it was done, so now I'm a little confused??
Hey!
Don't worry you're not overthinking it, this stuff can be so confusing, especially since every university seems to do it kinda differently?
That lecturer you really liked who now works at a different university sounds like a good choice for a reference, especially if they knew you and your work well. Even if they’ve moved institutions, as long as they’re still in academia and can speak to your abilities, that’s acceptable! You could just email them at their academic address, briefly remind them who you are (just in case), and ask if they’d be happy to write a reference for your Master’s applications?
As for uploading references yourself, yeah that’s become a bit more common lately. Some universities ask applicants to upload letters directly (usually as PDFs), while others still ask for your referee’s contact details so they can email them directly. It just depends on the system they use. If you're ever unsure, you can always drop the admissions office a quick email to clarify what's expected for that particular uni.
You're definitely on the right track though! Once you’ve got both referees lined up, you’ll be set. Let me know if you want help drafting that email to your former lecturer!
Hope this helps 🙂
Gemma
Official LJMU Student Rep
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