How do I ask a professor for a recommendation letter?

Email them both. Tell them you have something very important you need to discuss with them. They will already know what you will want to talk to them about. Make sure you show up on time. Be patient as they will take their time writing what you want.

You say "please will you write me a letter of recommendation?"

For the professor you have had face time with: Office hours again to ask, or email stating first why you are writing "I intend on applying to _____ -or- As part of the requirements for____...I am need of X reference letters. I would be most appreciative if you would be willing to write one on my behalf." Add some stuff @ the end about meeting again to discuss specifics if s/he is willing and able..

If you haven't met the professor before( large lecture or online? class)...same process, email but provide more introductory material about who you are, your achievement in the class, etc. before asking for the letter.

More often than not the professor is more than willing provided you supply them with enough time and information

good luck for w/e it is for

This is an easy question:

"Hello, __________. I am ___________ and I was in your class. I was wanting to ask you if you could write me a recommendation?"

Man, that was hard.

David, I know that's you.

This is your professor. Trust me, it's not a big deal; students ask me for letters all the time. Sure, it's a pain in the ass, but it's just part of the job, I guess. The biggest problem with writing these letters for students is that I usually don't know anything about them. However, with you, David, that won't be a problem. As a student, you stand out in my mind for many reasons. How could I forget the seemingly dozens of times you've come to my office to receive last minute 'special attention' on the borderline remedial homework assignments I gave out in class? Or how could I forget the fact that you have your laptop open all class period, clicking much more than you're typing. Surfing letsrun in class much? How do you think I discovered this site? That's right, I saw it on your computer. And please, if nothing else, be honest with the kind folks here. A B- is hardly "acing" a final exam, especially when it's in Intro to Trigonometry class.

Just come see me. I'll write your letter.

Depends on the kind of letter you want.

Your request for a letter must begin with: Gobble Gobble M*!herF*cker!

Goodness me wrote:

You say "please will you write me a letter of recommendation?"

That. All professors expect such requests. If the professor doesn't feel comfortable writing one for you because s/he doesn't know you well they'll just say so. It's no big deal.

You open your mouth and utter words to the effect of "Will you kindly write a recommendation letter for me?"

Welcome.

when i applied to grad school the professor signed a letter of rec written for me by my GSI (grad student TA). the grad students led our smaller discussion groups. if you have that, then ask if they can do it that way. the grad student TA knows you better is is familiar with your work. the professor signature is simply a way to make it look more impressive.

provide specific information about what you regard as your qualifications for this, in .ppt.

in need of help wrote:

The other professor (call him john) I have only talked to once last semester, but I also made an A in his class.

How do I go about asking them for recommendation letters (for med school)?

You should start by talking to your professors more. I had some classes where I talked almost as much as the professor..it got me smacked upside the head once in real analysis, but at least he knew me and wrote good recs for grad school.

in need of help wrote:

I want to ask 2 professors for recommendation letters, but I really don't know them that well. One of the professors (we'll call him jim) knows me by face since I've been to his office hours multiple times, but we really don't know each other. I made an A in his class last semester, as well as acing one of heis exams, and I am currently taking another one of his classes this semester.

The other professor (call him john) I have only talked to once last semester, but I also made an A in his class.

How do I go about asking them for recommendation letters (for med school)?

Dude, I personally didn't ask anyone :)

I was so glad that I found a job that I even forgot about the recommendations. I even came for an interview and there I was told that I had to show them the recommendations in order to start working. I was very surprised but did not despair. I found tips for writing quality recommendations and asked my brother to write me a recommendation. It was a very risky move because it was easy to check, but my brother wrote a very cool recommendation thanks to the guide from

and I was immediately hired)

Just bust into his office during office hours wearing a mask and be like "How's about that rec letter biatch". That always worked for me.

Be sure to ask if they are willing to write you a good or strong letter of recommendation. : )

Keep it short and sweet and include the information she/he will need to know. Include a brief introduction reminding him/her which class(es) you took and your grades there, what you are planning to apply to, and when you would need a letter of recommendation by. Remind them of the topic of your major paper(s) or projects in the class.

Just follow the rules of etiquette (or netiquette if you are sending the request via email:

https://custom-writing.org/blog/email-etiquette-for-students

) and you'll be fine.

Just earning good grades in class isn't enough to warrant a letter of recommendation. Your transcripts, which will also be submitted in your application process, tell that story. A letter that is just a re-hashing of your grades is useless. The professor should know you by name and face, and should be able to talk about your strengths and weaknesses during your development as a student, person, member of the University community, and member of the community in general. If you never made attempts to build a professional relationship with a faculty member, you should not ask them for a letter.

Sounds like the first professor you might have a shot with, but the second one who doesn't know you, definitely not.

billbob98 wrote:

Just earning good grades in class isn't enough to warrant a letter of recommendation.

Disagree, kind of. At least in the US, professors should be willing to write *a* recommendation letter for pretty much any student who did well in the class, it's part of the job. (And I've written letters for students who didn't do particularly well, too.) The key is that the better your professor knows you, and the more things you did to make a positive impression on them, the more effective and helpful a letter they'll be able to write for you.

When a student asks me for a rec, I'll agree immediately if I have lots of specific positive things to say about them. If I know they did well in class but can't say much beyond that, I'll say that I'm willing to do it if they want me to, but also encourage them to think about if there's anyone who knows them better and might be able to write a stronger letter. I'd only flat-out refuse if the only honest letter I could write would reflect very badly on the student -- e.g., they cheated, or never came to class, or....

Definitely don't be afraid to ask. Again, it's part of the job. But I'd encourage you not to just ask if the prof will write *a* recommendation. Instead, ask if they are able to write you an enthusiastic letter (or something along those lines). What you don't want is for them to agree to write out of a sense of obligation but then write you a letter that will hurt your chances of getting whatever you're applying for.

Oh, and ask at least two weeks before the letter is needed if at all possible. A month or more is better. Writing a good letter takes time, professors often get overwhelmed with letter requests from students around the same time of year, and the last thing you want is for them to be annoyed with you when they're writing because you didn't respect their time enough to ask in advance.