Three reference letters, two academic and one professional I am applying to a highly prestigious university in the UK for a PhD position. The usual norm here is that PhD's usually (unlike the US) require 2 rec letters, however this specific program asks for 3, and these 3 are for the course itself, it's not like one is for a scholarship and the other 2 are for the application, all three are for the application.
The PhD is in bioelectronics/neuroscience, and I have 2 solid rec letters from my uni supervisors, so that's fine but I don't have a third one! so I'm thinking of asking my manager at an oil company I have worked at before, ofc the letter won't have as much impact as the first two, but would something like this be really bad? or really wrong?
Thanks in advance for your time.
A professional letter is fine. It can focus on your personality, your characteristics, your leadership, and your willingness to do hard works. All of those are highly valued by a PhD program. It would be even better if you've led some research projects under his supervision or leadership.
It would be even better better (double betters) that he assures your ability of seeking funding or other research supports (such as data, instruments, and manpower) from the industry.
However, if he cannot say those things, I would like to suggest you to find a professor in one of your seminar course or project course that you did a small research project in that course.