Hi all,
What is the best way to get a letter of recommendation? I want to email my professors to set up an appointment but Im not sure if I should include the fact that the meeting is about a letter of rec. I know it's not the best way to just ask for on over an email, I'd rather do it in person but how do I go about doing that. How did you approach this?
I just asked for it over email, and that worked fine for me. And I went through about five different professors over all my applications.
My thinking was that they were all pretty busy people, and I didn't want to take much of their time. But if you have like a REALLY close relationship with someone you are asking, then I see no problem just going into their office hours and bringing it up. It's a part of their job and, if they like you (which I hope they do if you are asking them for a letter!), they will do it with little pressure.
Now getting them to do it in on-time is another issue entirely, but once again: professors are busy people.
Beg and sound pitiful in the email.
No seriously, profs are used to doing recommendations over email. Especially if they're arts & humanities professors - they'll write you a stellar letter.
I like sep had to go through several profs over the years but only 1 said no after 3 times (3rd year applying). I have never heard of a prof the first time you ask being like - no you can't be recommended go away.
Last edited: Mar 31, 2019Professor's get asked for letters during office hours all the time. It's part of their job. If you want to strategize it (hate to sound like a robot here), visit them at least twice before asking for the recommendation. Be sure to participate heavily in class discussions, of course. This advice only applies if you're a student, though.
If you're not a current student, and you have a strong relationship with a professor, you can invite them for coffee. Then you can tell them about your grad school goals and politely request a letter (I did this for one of mine). If meeting up is not an option, you'll have no other choice but to ask for the letter via email. Be sure to clearly outline the schools your applying to, the programs, deadlines, and some pointers on what you'd like them to mention (this can be delicate; do so at your own discretion). Another one of my professors set up a Skype call where we thoroughly discussed my plans and talking points for the recommendation. Pretty easy.
I know it sounds daunting to ask people for favors, especially illustrious individuals, but from my experience, professors genuinely like to write letters for their students. The see it as a service in that they get to help someone accomplish their goals; moreover, they also get bragging rights if they ever see your name in the credits of a feature film or television show (this is a joke but I'd wager there is some truth to it).