Letter of Recommendation Request

[McLicky]

---

Members don't see this ad.

1. How exactly did you guys request LORs from your professors/work supervisors etc. ?

2. Letter/email/personal message/other?

3. What documents did you provide to the faculty/work rep. ?

4. How much lead time?

 

[jochi1543]

1. Politely, giving them the option to say no, and demonstrating that I would very much value their contribution.

2. Via e-mail and phone, depending on the person.

3. Whatever they asked for. 1 didn't ask for anything, another one wanted my CV, transcript, and AMCAS PS, third one just wanted the CV.

4. You mean, how long till they wrote it or how far ahead of the submission deadline I asked? If it's the former, at least one person has taken his full 3 months - I gave him the stuff in February and he said he's finally doing it this weekend. Another person started a week after I asked (though I asked late, the day I received my MCAT score on the 16th).

 

[Dr. Josh]

I had asked for a LOR from a professor I had for two courses. I was running very high As in both classes and I believe he wrote the letter but didn't know where to send it yet. I've been trying to get interfolio up and running to provide that as the receptacle of LORs. Then I was shocked to not end up with an A in one of the courses. I can't imagine how because it meant I must have gotten less than a 68 on the final. I wrote him a letter asking specifically what I got on the final and expressed my shock. No response, so I sent it again. Still no response. What do I do now? I need this letter because i really don't have any science letters but now I'm not sure I'll get the glowing letter I was expecting and I'm not sure if he's reachable to get my letter now.

 

[Kikaku21]

I had asked for a LOR from a professor I had for two courses. I was running very high As in both classes and I believe he wrote the letter but didn't know where to send it yet. I've been trying to get interfolio up and running to provide that as the receptacle of LORs. Then I was shocked to not end up with an A in one of the courses. I can't imagine how because it meant I must have gotten less than a 68 on the final. I wrote him a letter asking specifically what I got on the final and expressed my shock. No response, so I sent it again. Still no response. What do I do now? I need this letter because i really don't have any science letters but now I'm not sure I'll get the glowing letter I was expecting and I'm not sure if he's reachable to get my letter now.

You need to go to his office. Look at your final exam and see what happened. Then talk to him about the letter in person. Emails are easy to forget/ignore.

 

[Dr. Josh]

You need to go to his office. Look at your final exam and see what happened. Then talk to him about the letter in person. Emails are easy to forget/ignore.

Yea, but I live several hours away and I'm not sure if he's even around during the summer. 🙁

 

[Caristra]

I asked all my letter writers in person. It just felt more polite and personal that way. If you are not in the area anymore then call or send an e-mail. I think going in person is better because you can read the enthusiasm or lack thereof from the writers face and tone of voice. Of course if you are sure it will be a very positive letter then this does not apply.

My writers all knew me very well so they did not ask for documents. However, you sould have a nice little cv prepared just in case someone asks for it. Some profs, especially those who teach large classes, will ask for one. It does not have to be fancy. Just a little summary about yourself and your career goals. The less the person remembers you the more likely they are to ask for a CV and/or transcript to refresh themselves.

Generally most writers expected to be given a three-week or a month lead time to write the letter. If you need it faster then explain the situation and ask politely if they think they can have the letter in by the date you need it.

 

[McLicky]

Yea, but I live several hours away and I'm not sure if he's even around during the summer. 🙁

Call the guy