Getting Recommendations

[pre-unsure]

How hard has it been for anyone to get recommendations from professors and what's the best way to build a relationship with your professors so that they can get to know you?

Obviously, these are important as they're needed for everything. Internships, graduate school, etc.
I go to a big university & my professors have so many students, so I'm just curious as to how anyone in this position was able to reach out to their professors for solid recommendations.

Thank you

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[Holmwood]

How hard has it been for anyone to get recommendations from professors and what's the best way to build a relationship with your professors so that they can get to know you?

Obviously, these are important as they're needed for everything. Internships, graduate school, etc.
I go to a big university & my professors have so many students, so I'm just curious as to how anyone in this position was able to reach out to their professors for solid recommendations.

Thank you

Doing well in class and active participation both in class and outside of class (through office hours). These are the most common suggestions.

What I also found useful are the following:
1) Attending multiple courses from the same professor.
2) Sitting in the front! (no duh...)
3) Attending seminars whenever your professor is up for presentation. You can say hi just before the presentation or actually participate in asking questions (though it's risky).
4) Do research with your professor (typically viable only after you did well in the course).
5) Attend clubs/organizations that your professor is also involved in.

 

[Syndicate101]

How hard has it been for anyone to get recommendations from professors and what's the best way to build a relationship with your professors so that they can get to know you?

Obviously, these are important as they're needed for everything. Internships, graduate school, etc.
I go to a big university & my professors have so many students, so I'm just curious as to how anyone in this position was able to reach out to their professors for solid recommendations.

Thank you

Office hours office hours office hours.
Seriously. Plan to go at least one every couple weeks and just talk with them. Go to their first office hours and introduce yourself in the beginning of the semester. Even if you don't have questions, make something up. They like to know you value their help and above all that you take the time to seek it. One of my professor always told me he just sits in his office and twiddles his thumbs. Dropping by and saying hi goes a long way.

 

[hydroxyurea]

Ask not what your professor can do for you, but what you can do for your professor.