Choosing the Right Recommender

[redfishbluefish]

Hi everyone. I'm applying to a few MFA screenwriting programs that require three letters of recommendation. Maybe you can give me some advice...

Two of my recommenders are professional contacts from a semi-writerly job. I'm undecided on my third recommender. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience/contacts in film, dramatic writing, etc. So here are my choices:

a) College friend who knows me well and is now a journalist. He's a good writer and would give me a strong recommendation.
b) My sister, who teaches writing and has a fair amount of professional writing experience (not related to film). She'd definitely give me a great rec, but I feel a little weird about submitting one from a family member.
c) Undergrad college professor. There are a few to choose from, but I haven't been in touch with any for two-three years and have a feeling they might give me a boilerplate rec.

Thoughts?

 

[Mike_V]

I would say go for the undergrad professor. but if you have kinda lost contact with them, then I would suggest your college friend. Family recommendation is... iffy imo.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Thanks Mike.

I agree, the family rec seems a little amateur..

I'd love to ask a professor, but it's been a little while since school, I've not done a very good job staying in touch and get the feeling that I might end up with a pretty generic rec, with not much in the way of interesting anecdotal content. Who knows..

Anyone else?

 

[Moira]

I don't know what would speak against your journalist friend. He certainly knows you very well and can produce a good piece of writing. It's never bad to have an educational recommnder though, depends on the subject you graduated in. If it is related to film r writing, I suggest you contact your favouriteprofessor and meet him personally. Then you can tell him about your latest work. If you were close to one of them a couple of years ago, they will surely spare their time. But if they never actually knew you, I would choose your journalist friend. Personally, I have one academic recommender who knew me since the first semester and who I still have contact with.