Ask for letter of rec in person or over email?

[spade92]

which do you prefer and why?

some people are actually hard to get ahold of in person so is email a totally bad option?

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[Lawpy]

which do you prefer and why?

some people are actually hard to get ahold of in person so is email a totally bad option?

Your best bet is to contact your professor/writer by email/phone to schedule a brief appointment. During the appointment, ask for your letter in person. It's best to make the interactions more personal.

Asking for letters via email is not recommended since the writers may (un)intentionally delay or ignore it altogether.

 

[ndafife]

If you can do it in person I would do it in person.

Email can be helpful to set up a meeting to discuss the LOR, but I wouldn't feel good about getting a letter without actually talking to the writer in person

 

[lifetothefullest]

Exactly what people above have said. Set up a meeting via email. This can be "I would like to discuss something with you" or, as I do it, I ask if they'd be willing to write a strong LOR for me and if so, we could set up an appointment to discuss further. I prefer my way because it gives the professor a way out if he/she doesn't want to do it/doesn't think he/she can write a strong one for you. You'll know if they are enthusiastic writing for you from their response. If they don't respond, I try once again to remind them in case they had forgotten about it. If they still don't respond, they probably weren't too enthusiastic about me and I don't want someone unenthusiastic to write my LOR.

 

[jlh19]

Everyone has very good suggestions here and I think you should base it off of the person you're asking. If you think they would prefer an in person meeting then definitely find a way to get to their office.

Personally I emailed all my writers first and said I was interested in them writing a letter for me, but understood that with so many students it isn't easy to get to know me through lectures. I then asked if I could schedule a meeting with them to talk to them about myself, my qualities, my desire to be a physician, and why I think I will make a good physician. Pretty much I just made a very strong argument for myself in hopes that they would see that and learn a bit more about me so they are more comfortable writing me a letter.

I also put together a personal folder with many things about me. I highly highly highly highly highly recommend this because they may not actually sit down to write the letter until later and they may have forgotten some things. In my folder I included copies of my resume, transcript, a bullet point list about my qualities that was a summary of my presentation to them, and copies of many of my awards I have received over the years (I am a Marine veteran and had some personal decorations throughout my time in the Marine Corps). Everyone really liked that I was extremely organized, thorough, and thoughtful into this process, because with the sheer number of students these professors have asking them for letters, it can get a little hectic for them. They may only want to write letters to those who are organized and make a good argument for them self.

Finding letter writers is extremely stressful (or at least I found it to be) so get started early on in the process and don't wait until the last minute to do it. Hope my suggestions work!

 

[MaybeDr]

Honestly I emailed all of mine. I think its a little odd to email "I'd like to discuss something with you." Most professors that are receptive to your emails will write you a decent letter. Otherwise why would they waste time emailing you back.

 

[spade92]

a bullet point list about my qualities that was a summary of my presentation to them

what kind of qualities did you list and what did you end up writing? this seems like a great idea but I'm not sure how I'd go about this in a non-conceited way

 

[jlh19]

what kind of qualities did you list and what did you end up writing? this seems like a great idea but I'm not sure how I'd go about this in a non-conceited way

PM me with your email and I'll send you a copy

 

[NeuResurgens]

In person is always better, but if they're importable to meet you can email them and try and set something up. If that doesn't work, I probably wouldn't ask them for a letter since they don't care enough to get back to you..

 

[packersfans]

I hadnt seen my professors in years so I wrote emails setting the stage and offered to schedule a phone call or in person meeting. I figure this a good filter as those who don't have time to answer your email, are unlikely to follow through on going through the submission process.

Ultimately the email was enough and I got strong LORs (according to interviewers) without in person or phone calls. So I'd say its not a detriment if you cant find them in person. Most asked for a resume or CV and it seems they paraphrased what I wrote so make sure the info you give them is solid for them to work from.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I would always do it in person if you can.

 

[Nymphicus]

It does not seem unreasonable that your letter writer will put a proportional amount of effort into your letter as compared to how much effort they perceive you to be putting in.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Unless I had a good reason for meeting with them otherwise (and slipping in the request real cool when I did meet with them), I mentioned it in the email as the reason I would like to meet.

 

[otterxavier]

I'd heard several places (including from my school's premed advisors) that you should always, always ask in person. Then I actually asked a few friends who are professors. Unanimously, the answer was that although they did want to meet with students requesting LoRs, they preferred that the initial ask come via email. It saved them from being put on the spot and gave them a chance to refresh their memory before responding to the student.

The other thing about asking via email is that you can attach a personal statement and resume. Obviously those are things that should be shared with recommenders anyway... but if they don't know you particularly well personally, and you have strong application materials, giving them a chance to skim through those before they decide whether they want to write the letter may make them more inclined to say yes.

I don't totally buy the "don't send an email in case it gets ignored." Ideally you want letter writers a) who are genuinely excited to recommend you, and b) who you won't have to chase down to make sure that your letter gets written and submitted on time. If they ignore your initial email, chances are they are missing one or both of those qualities, and you would be better off asking someone else.

 

[Glandzburg]

which do you prefer and why?

some people are actually hard to get ahold of in person so is email a totally bad option?

Doing it in person is much more professional. Emails are tacky in this situation, IMHO. If you know the professor well enough to get a good letter, asking in person should be no big deal.

 

[Catalystik]

Your best bet is to contact your professor/writer by email/phone to schedule a brief appointment. During the appointment, ask for your letter in person. It's best to make the interactions more personal.

Email can be helpful to set up a meeting to discuss the LOR, but I wouldn't feel good about getting a letter without actually talking to the writer in person

I would always do it in person if you can.

It does not seem unreasonable that your letter writer will put a proportional amount of effort into your letter as compared to how much effort they perceive you to be putting in.

Doing it in person is much more professional.

If you want a warm, personal, enthusiastic letter, take the time to reach out and make a personal contact. This demonstrates you have appropriate social skills and gives you an opportunity to show off personal characteristics that would be desirable in a future physician. They won't be mentioned if you don't showcase them. Mention of these non-cognitive indicators help adcomms to make better choices.

Pro-Tip: Don't show up looking unkempt in torn, dirty blue jeans.

 

[lifetothefullest]

I'd heard several places (including from my school's premed advisors) that you should always, always ask in person. Then I actually asked a few friends who are professors. Unanimously, the answer was that although they did want to meet with students requesting LoRs, they preferred that the initial ask come via email. It saved them from being put on the spot and gave them a chance to refresh their memory before responding to the student.

I cannot emphasize this enough. You want somebody who wants to write you a LOR enthusiastically, not someone who's going to write "Oh, I knew this guy and he seems like he'd make a good doctor."

Doing it in person is much more professional. Emails are tacky in this situation, IMHO. If you know the professor well enough to get a good letter, asking in person should be no big deal.

There's no reason that both can't coexist. Email to set up a time to meet to discuss it and you can ask/confirm in person. Why do I recommend this? Because you wouldn't just waltz into your boss's office and demand to be seen, would you? No. You'd make an appointment like a civilized person. Some people recommend doing it during office hours. Office hours are for students who are having trouble with a course and could use some extra help/question answering from the professor. If you do it during office hours, all you're doing is taking away time from those students for your own selfish needs. On a final note, there's no reason you can't also set up a time to meet to discuss it further during office hours. That would be okay as well, though it would still put the guy on the spot.

 

[Glandzburg]

@lifetothefullest That is definitely what I meant, thought that it was common sense. Of course it's ok to email to make sure the professor has a moment... I only said that asking for the letter itself should be done in person.

 

[lifetothefullest]

@lifetothefullest That is definitely what I meant, thought that it was common sense. Of course it's ok to email to make sure the professor has a moment... I only said that asking for the letter itself should be done in person.

Yeah, but what I mean is how would you email to make sure the professor has a moment? Would you say something like "Hey, can I come talk to you?" or something more like "I was wondering if you could write a LOR for me - can we discuss this further"? A lot of people on this site seem to think that waltzing in on office hours is the best way to approach it when in reality, it's actually quite rude to other students not to mention selfish.

 

[jurisburger]

I emailed all of mine because they were busy people and scheduling a meeting with them by email under the pretext "I would like to meet with you to discuss blah blah" is so painfully transparent that I'd rather just come out and say it in the email itself. The pros of email is that it does give your letter writers the chance to tactfully refuse if necessary ---some professors get overloaded with letter requests and simply cannot keep accepting requests for more even if they know you and can speak for you really well --- and avoid an awkward face to face denial (god forbid) on the spot. It also sets up a nice context for a later face to face meeting should both parties deem it necessary without having to beat around the bush about the intentions of said meeting.

 

[Catalystik]

Yeah, but what I mean is how would you email to make sure the professor has a moment?

"Could I schedule a meeting with you to discuss my career goals?"

 

[lifetothefullest]

"Could I schedule a meeting with you to discuss my career goals?"

Just like that, out of the blue? I mean, it really sounds out of context. I would be like "why does this person want to meet to discuss his/her career goals with me?"

 

[Glandzburg]

Just like that, out of the blue? I mean, it really sounds out of context. I would be like "why does this person want to meet to discuss his/her career goals with me?"

And your question would be answered during the face-to-face meeting 😉

 

[Glandzburg]

Yeah, but what I mean is how would you email to make sure the professor has a moment? Would you say something like "Hey, can I come talk to you?" or something more like "I was wondering if you could write a LOR for me - can we discuss this further"? A lot of people on this site seem to think that waltzing in on office hours is the best way to approach it when in reality, it's actually quite rude to other students not to mention selfish.

Honestly, I think you are reading too much into this. Professors understand this to be part of their job; you are in college, after all, to pursue some sort of goal upon graduation and the professors are ultimately there to teach you and help you achieve these goals. Simply asking for a few minutes of their time via email and then politely/professionally asking them for a LOR in person should be well-received if the professor thinks highly of you (and you wouldn't ask a professor that doesn't think highly of you).

TL;DR - email professor to set up appointment, then politely ask in person.

 

[obgynwannabee]

You can do either depending on the professors. I have had profs that really only want you to email and want to do everything over email if possible. Alternatively, I've had profs that prefer to be asked in person.

 

[Catalystik]

Just like that, out of the blue? I mean, it really sounds out of context. I would be like "why does this person want to meet to discuss his/her career goals with me?"

If you need to provide context, you could start with an introductory paragraph, if the faculty member wouldn't recall your name immediately. Segue into what impact their class had on you. Then state the purpose of the email, as I quoted above. Three sentences is enough to satisfy social convention without taking too much of the prof's time.

 

[Alejandro]

Cat's got it down.

Hopefully you've developed rapport with your profs. Such that asking to meet, isn't an issue. All of my letter writers were the ones where if I saw them in the hallway, and said, "Oh hi Dr. Jones!" Then they'd go "Oh hey Jimmy, how are you doin?"

At that level, I just emailed them and said something similar to what was said above. I think one of my rules with LORs, is the ask early, get confirmation, and then when it's time, just bring it up again, and say...OHHEYYYY so i remember you said you'd be willing to write me a letter, would you be okay with doing it now? I feel like the 'last minute letter' is more likely to be 'form lettered' than a real genuine letter.

 

[soccerusa]

email to set up an appointment then ask in person. Asking for a letter is incredibly important and you want to ensure they have the option to say no if they can't write you an excellent letter.

 

[GreatAdviceForPass]

which do you prefer and why?

some people are actually hard to get ahold of in person so is email a totally bad option?

If you can do it in person, do it in person. Also, deliver your thank you card in person, if you can. That is if you can

 

[Catalystik]

If you can do it in person, do it in person. Also, deliver your thank you card in person, if you can. That is if you can

I think that a followup "Thanks" after the letter is produced is a great idea, but that delivering it by snail mail or email is fine. Even more important to my mind, is letting your letter writers know the final outcome of your application cycle. Believe me that anyone who cares enough about your future to write a great letter, would be disappointed not to hear where you end up. Don't leave them hanging.

 

[SCooFS]

Has anyone here ever asked LOR writer to send them a copy so that they know the content of the letter? Is this allowed/ethical? The thing is in going to have like 6 letters (state school requires it) and is like to know which work best for the rest of the schools in applying to

 

[Long Way to Go]

Has anyone here ever asked LOR writer to send them a copy so that they know the content of the letter? Is this allowed/ethical? The thing is in going to have like 6 letters (state school requires it) and is like to know which work best for the rest of the schools in applying to

You have the legal right to view your letters as per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

However, it is a really bad idea not to waive this right. See FAQ #12 here for example http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...mmendation-questions-thread-2012-2013.896994/

 

[SCooFS]

Thanks! That's great info. What about just asking them to send me a copy though? Meaning the letter writer herself directly to me

 

[Long Way to Go]

Thanks! That's great info. What about just asking them to send me a copy though? Meaning the letter writer herself directly to me

You can't say you waive your rights to see it and then go around and ask to see it (even if you implicitly give them the option to decline). If the letter writer chooses to voluntarily share their letter with you (some of mine did), that is their prerogative, but I would not want to put them in the position of having to say no.

 

[lifetothefullest]

Thanks! That's great info. What about just asking them to send me a copy though? Meaning the letter writer herself directly to me

Definitely not ethical. If they offer it, then you could probably argue that you waived your right but it was just offered to you. But if you go about soliciting it, you're not really waiving your right.