Comments | cathaarsix: How To Ask For a Rec.

cathaarsix

How To Ask For a Rec.

Jul 19, 2004 14:45

i am in the process now of starting to get my application materials together, and was wondering what the best way to go about asking a former professor for a recommendation is. i sat down to write her an email and all i could think of was "i want to sk you for a rec..." surely there a better way, and i'm blanking. maybe i'm not the best at beating ( Read more... )

Comments 6

vicariance July 19 2004, 12:24:14 UTC

Seems to me that you should follow the tradition request rubric: explain your situation, make your request, then explain why you're asking them/how it will be helpful.

I don't think there's any call for euphemistic politesse.

Hi, I was in your class and now I'm applying for a job which relates to the subject. Could you give me a letter of recommendation? I did fairly well in your classes and I expect your recommendation would hold alot of weight with my potential employers. Let me know!

love,
bennypoo

post_ironic July 19 2004, 12:29:52 UTC

i'm inclined to agree with monsieur mills. explain your situation, state what you would like to request, and pre-emptively thank them for their assistance. in fact, the way you requested all of us LJers for advice sort of prefigures the way you should ask your professors for recs. just correct the spelling typos and grammatical errors.

petunia_fist July 19 2004, 13:42:44 UTC

Email is a fine way to go about asking, though if you have her office number, that might be a better way. I started with an email to my profs, and while I gave them information about where I was applying and what I wanted to study, two of the three ended up calling me up to chat about it with me a little more. (It was very sweet, actually. They were really happy that I was going to grad school and wanted to know all about it.)

It would be good to mention that you are asking her for a rec because she does teach within the field that you'd like to get into. It is also good to thank her up front (as Mr. Hickey pointed out already) and let her know that you appreciate her taking time to do this for you.

I recommend... anonymous July 20 2004, 08:04:29 UTC

Application materials, eh? For grad school, I'm guessing, and not the job hunting.

What about recommendations from former employers? Often times, I think, employers' recommendations hold a good deal of weight, since your employer had to pay you for your time. Worth paying ain't all that different from worth teaching.

-Bo

Re: I recommend... petunia_fist July 20 2004, 08:42:38 UTC

It's true...for both undergrad and grad school I got one recommendation from an employer, just to have someone vouch for the fact that I do know how to work hard, something my profs didn's actually see much of...though to be honest I don't think it would have changed things one bit if I'd gone to another professor for that last recommendation.

Re: I recommend... anonymous July 21 2004, 15:10:53 UTC

Damnit, PF! You're either with me or you're not!

-Bo