Advice to Students About Requesting Letters of Recommendation

If you've ever been stumped by a students asking you for a letter of recoomedation to graduate school, and don't remember the student, or can't comment favorably on the student's performance, then read the advice below I recently shared with my students:

Applying to graduate school? Need letters of recommendation? Here is some advice to follow and guide you in asking for those coveted letters of recommendation…
• While you are taking classes, get to know your instructors. Talk to them before and after class, and tell them about your career goals.
• Know that graduate schools want to know about your writing ability, critical thinking skills, your character, and your leadership skills. They will want these qualities discussed in detail in the letter. Instructors cannot discuss these elements if they don’t know you.
• Graduate applications often ask instructor to explain how long they’ve known you, and ask them to rank you on a 5 point scale. Instructors will not rank you the highest if they have no reason to do so!

Most faculty are always happy to help students with letters of recommendation. In order to get the best letter of recommendation, you should ask an instructor who meets the following criteria:
1. Someone with whom you've taken a class in the last 4 semesters
2. Someone with whom you've established a relationship and have talked to and shared your academic/ career goals
3. Someone who can testify as to your work ethic/ your ability to write well/ your ability to think critically/ and your ability to conduct research

Writing letters of recommendation is part of being an instructor, however, it is time-consuming and not a particularly enjoyable task. Graduate school letters of reference take time to compose, so I would suggest that you provide (whomever you request to write on your behalf) 4-6 weeks to complete them. Then don't be shy about following up with that instructor and reminding him/her about the due date(s). You should make this process as easy as possible by filling in any and all blank spaces on the applications that you can, so the instructor has to do less work.

In the event that you are asking an instructor to write a letter of recommendation and you had the instructor a long time ago, I would suggest that you meet with the instructor face-to-face and re-establish a relationship. Remind the instructor who you are and about the quality of your work and writing while you took his/her class.

Remember that each of us needs letters of recommendation at some time or another. Just as you, as a student, need a letter of recommendation now, your instructor may need a letter of recommendation from you in the future. Establishing a rapport with your instructor is an important step in ensuring you will get favorable responses when you ask for this coveted letter! Best of luck!