Who are appropriate sources for references?
Ideally, recommendations should come from academic sources as they give the best assessments on how an applicant would fare as a graduate student. Applicants should have read at least two courses for the professors writing the references. In cases where the applicant has not been a student for quite some years, one of the three referees can be a professional source, such as a supervisor or a manager familiar with the applicant’s work history. References should be qualified to evaluate and expound on the applicants’ academic performance and potential for graduate studies.
