Going back for a Master's 5 years after undergrad

[payal]

Hi - I'm applying to graduate programmes in City and Regional Planning; I've been working for 5 years as an engineer, and although I am in touch with my academic advisor at Purdue, I am not in touch with any professors. Given the fact that I've been at work for 5 years, would non-academic letters of recommendation make a negative impact to my application? Between the 2 companies I worked for, I can get very good letters of recommendation from the PhD scientists who've been my bosses. Should I get a letter of recommendation from my academic advisor since we share a great rapport? Of course I'll ask her of her willingness to write a favourable letter.

Any tips or experiences to share with me? Thanks!

[JC]

you should definitely get an academic letter of recommendation. The professional ones are great, especially for your field, but you should blend the professional letters of recommendation with the academic letters of recommendation to demonstrate that you can excel in both worlds.

[triny]

agreed! academic letters are needed if you're going into academic fields. But professional letters are useful for those going into professional fields.