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How to Ask Your Professor for a Letter of Recommendation
At some point during your college career, you will need to ask a professor (or supervisor, mentor, etc) for a letter of recommendation. This may be for a job on or off campus, a scholarship, an internship, or entrance into graduate/law school. A recommendation letter could be the difference between getting offered a position and receiving that sweet rejection letter.
Let me start by stating the obvious: It is much easier to ask your professor to write you a letter if you have a personal relationship though attending office hours or being engaged in class. However this sometimes is not possible when attending a large university (although I do challenge you to try). Here are some tips to follow when it comes time to ask for a letter of recommendation, regardless of how well you believe your professor knows you:
Give plenty of time.
You want the person writing your letter to not feel rushed. The easier you make it for them to complete the recommendation on time, the better. My suggestion is to give as much time as possible for them to write your letter, with a minimum of two weeks. Asking last minute signals you were not prepare and that might be reflected in the letter.
If for some reason you need to ask for a last-minute letter, be sure to give a very good reason as to why. Also, do not feel upset if your professor says no to a late request, they most likely have multiple letters to write at any given time.
Meet with the individual in person.
Setting up an appointment and meeting face-to-face to ask for a recommendation letter shows professionalism and will set you apart from other students. The person writing your letter will feel a stronger connection to you as a student. This doesn’t have to be a long meeting, just set up a time to give a little information about what you are applying for, why you are applying, and make the request. If they agree to submit a letter for you, be sure to ask what they need from you in order to write the best possible letter. Follow up with that information as soon as possible in an organized way. It’s not a good look to ask for a letter of recommendation and two weeks later send over your resume.
