How to Ask Professors for Letter of Recommendation When You Dont Know Hem

Asking your professor for a recommendation letter tin be very unnerving, especially when yous're non sure on how to arroyo the discipline.

But you will likely demand to ask them for one for your higher admission, graduate studies, or task applications.

To assistance you get started, hither are 12 professionals who speak from their experience on how to ask a professor for a recommendation alphabetic character:

There are iv key steps to the process of request a professor for a letter of the alphabet of recommendation:

Deciding which professor to ask

The bidder should inquire professors who know them well and for whom they did first-class work in an area relevant to their desired area of study.

Selecting a time to enquire

Roughly vi weeks before you want the letter of the alphabet submitted, gear up up an engagement with your professor. You may want to set a due date for the professor roughly two weeks earlier information technology'south actually due, so your meeting would be eight weeks before the due appointment.

Making it easy for the professor

Before yous encounter, prepare ii succinct documents to help the professor. Numbers 2-4 below should not exceed two pages.

A resume highlighting your achievements. If this is for a U.S. professor, information technology should exist no more one page.
A brief summary of your achievements with this professor. For example, regular attendance at office hours, participating in a research project, receiving merit-based awards as a result of efforts in the professor'due south class, etc.
A listing of the schools you are applying to and the reasons yous are doing so.
Goals statement.

Requesting the alphabetic character

Ask if the professor would be willing to write a strong letter of the alphabet of recommendation for you. If the professor says "yes," give her the documents in #3. If not, you need to ask another professor.

My advice to students: make information technology easy for me to write about you.

Our college requires students to requite specific written permission, to comply with privacy (FERPA) laws, before an teacher can nuance off a letter. Gone are the days when you could pop your head into your teacher's office and ask for a letter of recommendation. Once viewed every bit a favor, writing recommendation letters is now more of a chore.

Here's what students should consider:

Make your request in writing

Practice the back work and notice out if your higher has a particular form that must be filled out, and get that grade proactively.

Exist specific in your request

I have to have permission to reveal what classes a student took from me, how they did in grade, or their grades — all details that might help in a reference letter of the alphabet. Also, permission issues aside, tell me what the letter is for. I will probably write a dissimilar letter for a potential employer than I would for a grad schoolhouse application.

If it'southward been a while since you were in my class, remind me who yous are and when we worked together. Something elementary like, "I was in your fall 2017 Humanities class" is ordinarily enough.

I love doing all I can to help students attain future success, and this includes providing recommendation letters. The complexities of modern pedagogy and privacy concerns have added layers to this chore, so help me aid you, by post-obit the rules and giving me enough of time to craft a letter of the alphabet that will actually help you lot in meeting your goals.

Related: How Long Should a Alphabetic character of Recommendation Exist

As a professor and managing director of several training programs, I receive many requests from students and former students for letters of recommendation for jobs, internships, awards, and whatever other kind of opportunities that alumni of my programs may see.

Hither are iii of the half-dozen most of import tips that I suggest students to follow when they request a letter of recommendation from me:

Proceed in touch

Keep in touch with professors from whom you lot think y'all may want to request a letter of recommendation later. Few things are more frustrating to me than when I have non heard from a former pupil in years, and so suddenly, they contact me just to request an urgent letter of recommendation.

Kickoff of all, I could not even begin to write the letter if I have lost touch with the student, don't know what they have been doing since they worked with me, and take no thought of their achievements until I receive the letter asking.

I tell my students to keep in affect with their virtually important mentors. Just sending an update once or twice per twelvemonth is enough or beingness in contact with them every time they have a career change, such as a new job, award, or publication.

Getting into this addiction keeps the lines of communication open so that the asking for a alphabetic character doesn't come as such a surprise.

Give complete details

Provide ALL of the details relevant to the letter. I would never give a blanket letter of the alphabet of recommendation. All my letters are written specifically for the occasion that the student needs information technology for at the moment. Therefore, students need to provide the data on who the letter needs to be directed to, the total name of the opportunity for which they are applying, whether the letter is to be given to the student or sent directly to the program, etc.

Give enough writing time before the deadline

Ideally, your asking for a letter of recommendation should be submitted to your professor at least ii weeks in advance. This volition permit enough time for me to schedule it into my agenda, ask whatsoever questions I may take about the letter, and look for any records I may take on the educatee'due south prior performance.

Importantly, exist beholden of your professor's time and effort in providing y'all with a alphabetic character of recommendation. Sending a thank-you note would be nice.

I'yard a former assoc prof and pharmacist/lawyer who has been asked to write hundreds of recommendation letters for students.

Highlight your strengths

My best advice, and what I always ask of students asking – is for them to take their top 3 strengths and describe how the strength has been used on a project or in the classroom with me.

Here is an instance:

beingness futuristic and writing a paper on the future of healthcare in my course. Or, woo, and helping me with a briefing during their final twelvemonth rotations with me.

They need to create the stories (pulling from reality, of course) and situations where I worked directly with them, where they also had the opportunity to flex their top force muscles – that is the best info for a recommendation letter. Then, of course, I put my ain commentary on it for the actual letter of the alphabet.

It is hard to write a alphabetic character for a student who I have never seen outside of class. Merely I tin can write messages that glow in the dark for students who accept been with me on report abroad, worked on a paper, or who have established a mentor relationship with me.

Tell the professor exactly what yous need the letter to say

For example, "I need them to know I am a adept author," or "I need them to know that I am reliable and have skilful math skills." I e'er ask the student to provide a resume and three important things I tin say about them that are related to the job or graduate school application.

I beloved to write letters for students who remind me of what class they took with me, and when. I want to know if they'll use the letter to pursue a task, a scholarship, a graduate program, or something else specific. I dear it when they include a electric current resume, and when they tell me a flake about their family/hobbies/current passions.

Especially, I'one thousand grateful when they too send me their best work from the form we've shared so that I tin can easily refer to it in my letter.

Extra points for a sincere and friendly letter that conveys a sense of gratitude.

Having gladly written hundreds of messages of recommendation for students (and alumni), I find most student'south "ask" lacking. Simply, I effort to brand information technology into a teachable moment!

The best approach is directly and respectful

Endeavour to make it easy for the professor to say yeah. Make an engagement with your professor, and get in fully prepared with:

re-create of your resume
what chore/program you are applying for, where, and WHY
who is to receive the alphabetic character
the title of the receiver
receiver's complete address
suggestions as to what the professor should emphasize in the letter of the alphabet about your background and your skills

When learning how to exercise something new, it is as important to acquire about best practices as it is to learn nearly the common missteps. Equally a professor at a large schoolhouse in Central Florida, students ofttimes ask me for letters of recommendation. I am happy to accommodate many of them, but I decline a few from fourth dimension to time.

Students I write for

The students I write letters for are typically students who, in improver to being good students, accept taken multiple classes with me, visited during office hours, and kept in touch after form concluded. This familiarity helps professors know the abilities, personalities, aspirations, communication skills, and temperaments of students ameliorate.

Student I do not write for

Conversely, the students I do not write letters for are students who took only 1 grade with me and, apart from the in-class time together, never reached out during function hours or later on the class had ended. I teach well over 300 students a year, so it is hard for me to remember every student and their academic abilities, performances, personalities, aspirations, communication skills, and temperaments.

Professors who write strong letters of recommendation need to know students well, and taking ane survey course with your professor many moons ago won't give them the information they need.

I in one case received a request to write a alphabetic character of recommendation from a student five years later on he took my class. I forgot who he was, to say naught well-nigh the fact that I could not ethically recommend him if I could not fifty-fifty remember if he was a good student or not.

So, if you lot think you volition need letters of recommendation, be a adept student and become to know your professors. Visit them during office hours and ask for more help. They will be happy to do so and, when the fourth dimension comes, write you a letter of the alphabet of recommendation.

Professors are aware that information technology tin can be bad-mannered asking for a letter of the alphabet of recommendation. Students often feel like they are putting the professor out, or they don't know the professor well enough. You should know that we get this asking all the time, and we expect information technology as office of our jobs.

I write a alphabetic character of recommendation for most students who enquire unless I don't feel comfortable recommending the educatee to the employer.

Give as much data as possible

If you desire a letter of the alphabet of recommendation that stands out above the rest, you demand to give your professor as much information equally possible.

When you email your request to the professor, it'south proficient to provide:

an outline of the job you are applying for (so your professor can write the letter of recommendation based on the job's selection criteria)
a copy of the feedback your professor has provided on ane of your assignments (so they tin can review what they've previously said about positive aspects of your work)
a photo of your academic transcript (so they can see your grades across all subjects you've studied)
any boosted requests for what yous'd like them to hash out in the letter of the alphabet

With this data, most professors will be able to write an authentic and thoughtful alphabetic character of recommendation, fifty-fifty if they don't know you lot all that well.

Max Falb

Digital Marketing Strategist, Fueled

I recently graduated from NYU final spring, and I have had to ask a few professors for recommendations and they have really helped me.

Selection the right ane

Before you tin can inquire a professor, you need to make sure you pick the correct one. That doesn't mean the professor who's grade y'all're doing best in. You need to choose someone who knows how hardworking you are and can go more than in-depth on who you are as a student to write a more than personalized and authentic alphabetic character.

Talk to them in person

For me, I would approach them subsequently class and simply enquire. Near professors are willing to do and then if you have cultivated a relationship with them. Do not allow the first fourth dimension you ever talk to them one-on-one be when yous ask them for a recommendation letter.

Talk to them outside of class almost something they said in class, homework, projects, anything! A good letter of recommendation will come from someone who actually knows you.

Sheelah Bearfoot

College Advisor, Empowerly

Build close relationships early on

By the beginning of your junior year at the very latest, you need to have a good working relationship with a teacher, coach, boss, etc. If you're scrambling, remember nearly which teachers and mentors you currently have a good relationship with, and send them an electronic mail detailing why yous know each other well enough for them to write you a rec alphabetic character.

Express gratitude and agreement of how valuable their time is, right off the bat!

Proceed a good log of what you lot got out of each class yous took

Instructors are not going to desire to write y'all a rec letter if they don't recall yous learned anything from them. If you lot're asking at the final infinitesimal, brand sure you lot take this information fleshed out with a specific lesson, concept, and anecdote on how it changed your perspectives.

Be specific—a generic "this taught me that history actually does repeat itself" or "this taught me that physics does accept value outside of the AP test" is NOT going to cutting it.

Practice some research

Inquiry on the school for which the alphabetic character is intended. What qualities are they impressed by? How does their approach to education and research align with your experiences and contributions? The letter isn't going to exist more than than a page, go for (pertinent) quality over quantity.

Polish your resume and make a outline

Have your resume polished, and an outline of what you demand the rec letter to emphasize. The recommender may inquire you to write a draft recommendation; this is VERY common, especially if you wait until less than one calendar month before the borderline to inquire.

This is part of how they come across whether or non you lot got something out of their form, and makes their job a little easier. Don't exist sketched out past it. They are ultimately nevertheless the ones approving it and vetting your claims. They'll probably rephrase information technology a bit anyway.

Request early on

Ideally, yous should ask at least three months before y'all need the letter to exist submitted.

If you're asking later than that, never underestimate the ability of a good thank-you note and a small bag of healthy snacks. Teachers similar to experience appreciated.

Becky Beach

Hiring Director | Owner, Mom Beach

Working relationships in class

The way to go a alphabetic character of recommendation from a professor is to constitute a working relationship during your time in class. After class ends, go up and ask the professor questions about the curriculum so that they start to know your proper noun. A professor has 50 students in a class or more, and then they tin't retrieve anybody.

If you'd want them to cease up writing you a letter of the alphabet of recommendation, you need to stand out. A alphabetic character from a professor volition help you secure a chore after graduation.

When I was looking for employment, I had a letter from my professor, which helped tremendously. The employer chosen him, and he said really cracking things well-nigh me. I was then hired inside two weeks of the interview.

A recommendation alphabetic character from a professor stands out

As a hiring director, if an applicant gave me a letter of the alphabet of recommendation from a professor, then it would make them a stand up out candidate. I know how busy professors get, and if this applicant has secured a letter from i, that speaks volumes about their worth ethic and personality.

When you graduate, you take no feel in the working world, and so you lot have no employment references. It is definitely worth it to get to know your professors then that they tin can write you a letter to help you find piece of work!

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Source: https://upjourney.com/how-to-ask-a-professor-for-a-letter-of-recommendation