Recommendations are most useful when the letters tell the schools something about you they cannot easily find out by looking at the rest of your record. Typically, graduate schools will want three or four recommendations. If the graduate bulletin does not specify from whom these recommendations should be obtained, it is a good idea to have at least two from faculty members in your major department. The others can be faculty members or professional staff members in related or unrelated disciplines. Sometimes it is helpful to have a recommendation from a professor in an unrelated discipline because it shows the breadth of your interests.
Employers also make good references.
Sources are continually being developed, making it difficult to find out what is available at any one time. Information can be found in the graduate bulletins and in the descriptive literature published by universities, foundations and governmental units. In addition, faculty members both at Hampden-Sydney and at the school where admission is sought can be particularly helpful. The deadline is usually March 1 of each year. It is not uncommon for graduate schools to withhold substantial assistance during your first year of graduate study.