COLLEGE
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.
