How to Ask Your Professor For A Letter of Recommendation

Applying to graduate schools has become increasingly more competitive. Most schools require a letter of recommendation to be attached to your application, if not more than one. It is best to get letters from those professors who know you best. For some students, asking a professor can be difficult, or they are afraid that the professor does not know who they are. Here is a list of things you can do to ensure you get a stellar letter from your prof.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. 

   PICK YOUR FAVORITE. It's no surprise that you're not going to instantly love all of your professors. At the start of the semester, as you're getting to know your new professors, try to pick one that you feel you will be able to get along with. This could be because you have a passion for their class or feel you would do very well in it. Basically, you should choose someone that you will try to maintain a relationship with throughout your academic career. If you do this each semester, by the time you come to graduation you will have several professors to choose from.

2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. One of the best ways to get a professor's attention is to ask for help. Often, you may have to go through a teaching assistant first, but in some cases, professors will list office hours that are open to everyone. You can stop by with a question on one of the assignments he gave or ask for further clarification on something he taught in class. Occasional office visits are a good way for a professor to get to know you personally from a class of hundreds of students. It will also show him that you are putting effort into his class.

3. 

   RAISE YOUR HAND. Most students have questions throughout a course and some won't bother raising their hand. Professors encourage questions. Certainly you have heard them say, "I'm sure if you have a question, someone else here does too..." If you have a question, make sure it is relevant and not something like, "Will this be on the exam?" But, if you are very shy, you may find it hard to raise your hand in class. This is why I have included other tips too!

4. FIND RELEVANT NEWS. If you don't actually need any help in the course, a good way to get to know your professor is to find a current event relevant to his class and share it with him. For example, in a science course, you can browse the science news and see if an article relates to a topic covered in your course. This is especially useful for students who might be too shy to raise their hand in class.

5. OFFER TO HELP. Professors may often need help throughout the semester. Maybe one of their graduate students is running an experiment that could use an extra assistant. They could even need help with their research or undertakings (not just in science, either). By offering your services (if you have time) you are going to have the ability to form a relationship with your professor. Working together, even once a week, can help him get to know you better and will get you a much more specified letter of recommendation.

6. MAINTAIN YOUR RELATIONSHIP. Once you've gotten a professor to remember your name and you've stopped by their office with an interesting bit of news, make sure you maintain the relationship you've built. It's not that hard, just try to "stand out" from the crowd a bit. Most professors will remember their highest-scoring students (and the ones that are consistently failing) but if you are doing pretty well in the class, you may need to try a bit harder to stand out. Just try Steps 1-5 on maybe a monthly basis!

7. ASK FOR YOUR LETTERS EARLY. You don't need to wait until you are applying to graduate school to ask for your letters of recommendation. If you think your professor may take a sabbatical or you may leave the school, you can always ask for your letter at the end of the semester in which you've taken the professor's course. Just keep the letters filed away so you can have them when you need to apply.

8. AIM FOR AN "A". It sounds harsh, but some professors may refuse to write a letter of recommendation if you've scored less than a certain grade in their course. For some, it may be a B, others an A. Typically, you may want to ask the professors that taught the courses you did really well in.

Tips & Warnings

• Grades aren't everything. If you've worked closely with a professor, you may want a letter from him detailing your responsibilities and accomplishments.
• You can ask other members of faculty as well. Perhaps you've worked closely with a teaching assistant or a graduate student.
• Don't get discouraged if the professor says no, there are others you can ask!

[frenchwriter]

on 11/26/2008 No Grades are not everything when I was teaching. Now thinking of going back for next semester after a sabbath...I will consider some of your tips. Participation in my book is also important. I facilitate a class and let the students manage it.


Blessings,

Michel