Advice on asking for Letters of Recommendation

[tinsfuture]

Hey guys-

I was wondering if you can give me advice on what you have done to get letters of recommendation from professors. Also, any suggestions on how i can ask a professor of a class of maybe 200+ students for a letter? (Besides the obvious of going to office hours.. any other advice?)

For some reason this process is really bugging me because I don't want to just ask a professor that doesn't know the difference between me and another student in a crowd of 200+ students..

Thanks in advance!

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[eyelectric]

Unfortunately when you are in large lecture classes, it is difficult to really get to know the professor. You might consider asking one of your lab TAs to write the letter and then have the professor sign it as well. I've heard of other students doing this because they have a lot more personal interaction with their TA. You should probably check first with the schools where you are applying and find out if they will accept this.

Another option would be to obtain a letter from your advisor (assuming you have one). This is what I did and it worked out really well. My advisor not only taught a couple of my classes, but he had access to all of my information and I met with him at least once a semester throughout college. Therefore we were a lot more familiar with each other than I was with most of my other professors. Hope this helps!

 

[mlongo1]

i just asked a professor that really didn't know me. He had written tons of 'em in his past, sweet old man, respected Ph. D. He asked for a resume and wrote me a THICK LONG latter based on that and the fact that I got an A in his course. Worked out well.

 

[cpw]

I asked the graduate student I did undergrad research with to write my letter.. and then he had our boss sign it.

I did have one professor from a small statistics class write me a letter.. after I read it I was wishing she hadn't The letter was nice enough, but she clearly didn't proof read it before she mailed it !! The grammar was AWFUL !!! (but, they let me in anyway)

 

[Optomoman]

If you have a professor write you a letter, and that professor doesn't know you very well, the admissions commities will probably see right through it. The way I see it, if this is what you want to do with your life then don't cut any corners in this department - make sure the person writing your reccomendations knows who you are. I know it's a pain, but if you want the professor to put any effort into your letter, then you should put the effort in to go to the office hours.

 

[JeffChou]

What I suggest is still the obvious; go to office hours. Chances are, your professor will get to know you by the end of the term. Just make sure you go prepared with questions to get the most out of it. I make it a point to go as many times as possible (hopefully every week) even if I am not having any problems. Sometimes it helps to hear what problems that other people might have with the material and the reinforcement is just another way to review. In any case, if you have the time for it, it will pay off. It will look the best when the professor of the entire class writes you a personal letter of recommendation. Even if your class if 400 students large, you should make an effort to go speak to the professor during office hours rather than the TA (or both!). If that is still not possible, well then, I suppose any letter is better than none. I don't think a TA letter would count negatively by any means.


Good luck!

 

[hoosier1]

I would just ask and if the professors hesitant then i'd ask someone else. in situations like these it would be best if u ove received an A in the course

 

[tinsfuture]

Thanks for the advice so far! Keep them coming

And the trouble with office hours for me, is that my schedule never permits me to with classes, lab, and work during the specific times! So i am stuck..