Letter » Recommendation Letters

How should I ask my teachers for letters of recommendation?

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:26:29 +0000

I actually have a few questions about recommendation letters.

1. How should I go about asking teachers for them?
2. Is there anything I should give my teachers if they say yes?
3. Is there anything else I should know about recommendation letters?

1. I would choose teachers with whom you have a strong, personal relationship. You certainly want to select teachers whose classes you have done well in. I would simply approach them before/after class and ask "Would you be comfortable writing a letter of recommendation for me? I am applying for …." If this is not feasible, send them an e-mail asking if they would be comfortable writing a letter of recommendation and explaining why you would like a letter from them.
2. It is customary to give the teacher an envelope in which to place their recommendation. Depending on the program you are applying for, you may need to address and stamp it separately and have the teacher sign the seal (therefore preventing any tampering with the envelopes contents). Some programs will ask that you have the professor mail the envelope separately, while some request that you include it in your general mailing.
3. Remember that the teacher is doing you a favor by writing a letter of recommendation. Try to make it as easy for them as possible, including explaining what the program is you are applying for. Do not try to dictate what the teacher says. If they ask you, be prepared to talk up a few competencies you have demonstrated in their class or activities that you feel are relevant.

Good Luck!

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How do I go about getting letters of recommendation?

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:29:38 +0000

I am going to attempt to get into the professional portion of my program at school, its to become a physical therapist assistant. In order for me to get in, I have to have three letters of recommendation. There not letters that have to be wrote out, they are just forms to be filled out and returned anonymously to the dean.

I don’t know who to get these from. Do you have any tips and pointers for me? I don’t know who to ask and I don’t know how to ask them.

Thank You!

Who to ask:

If possible, someone who you have known for a few years and/or taken more than one class with (that you have done well in!).

Try to ask people who know you in different capacities from each other, like a Science teacher, a Psychology teacher and an advisor or something. Or if you do extracurriculars with a particular professor that can sometimes be helpful.

How to ask:

Email them or speak to them and set up a time to come to their office to chat, or swing by their office hours. Mention to them what you are up to – what you are applying to and why – and ask if they would fill out a form for you. Explain why you thought they would be a good person (since I’ve had you for 2 classes, since we have worked together for so long, since I feel your courses have helped me to get where I am).

Good luck!

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What’s the difference between letters of recommendation and references? Should they be different people?

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:42:38 +0000

I’m applying for a job and they’ve requested both–references, and letters of recommendation

Letters of recommendation are typically given from someone you have worked with on a professional or educational level and detail your strengths, which emphasize how you qualify for the position you are applying for.
References are typically listing contact information of previous co-workers, managers or friends that can be contacted to verify your credentials or character.
Usually letters of recommendation are asked for more academic positions and references for professional – asking for both is odd. However, if that is the case – the letters of recommendation would be someone that can verify work you have done and write a short description. You should be able to list that person also as a reference too, if you feel that person knows enough about you to answer questions if contacted. However, if not you would want to put down references as people that have known you for at least a year, and could answer questions about your character/ work ethic when contacted.

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How do I get letters of recommendation from my professors?

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:53:32 +0000

I need letters of recommendation for med school and I’m currently a 2nd semester sophomore so I decided I want to get to know my professors now. But how are you supposed to get to know them? Do you just visit them in office hours often? What about next year when I won’t be taking their class anymore? Any advice would be great.

The best professors to get recommendations from are the ones in your major. Ask questions in class, stop by their office hours to say hi and chat about homework assignments or readings. I have no idea what kind of college you are at. If your classes are small, it’s more likely that the professor will know your work individually. I’m applying for doctoral programs and have been out of school for 10 years. I had no problems asking faculty from 10 years ago for recommendations. Professors remember their students, especially the ones that are engaged in their classes.

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Do letters of recommendation have to be on a topic related to what I write on my appeal for UC schools?

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:51:42 +0000

I’m planning to appeal my rejections from UCLA and UCSD. I’m going to write a letter of appeal on a business experience I’ve had since I sent in my application letter and further describe my intentions in college (I applied as undeclared major and I think that’s why I got rejected): should I get my letters of recommendation to tie into the letter of appeal that I write? Or can they just be general good recommendation letters?

Don’t bother.

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How many recommendation letters should I ask my professor to write?

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:05:20 +0000

I am planning on applying to grad school and need letters of recommendations. I don’t want to overwhelm my professor with a bunch of letters of recommendation so I wanted to know what is an "average" amount of letters of recommendation for one professor to write. I’m initially thinking around 3-4 letters per professor?
I mean: I want to apply to 4 different graduate schools. And each graduate school requires 3 letters of recommendations. So is it ok to ask a professor to write a letter of recommendation for me for all 4 colleges? Or is 4 too many, or does it not matter? Thanks

Hi, first off, good for you if your marks are such that you are anticipating doing graduate work. Next, don’t worry too much about this. We do letters of recommendation for our students all the time and the vast majority of us consider this to be a proper part of our job. Also, once we write a letter for a student, customizing it for multiple destinations doesn’t take much more work. But 3 or 4 should be the max to ask someone to write for a quite different reasons. We expect a student to do their homework and decide carefully where they want to do graduate studies. So if you are just sending out applications scatter-gun that actually raises a red flag. The great majority of students for whom I have written letters are applying to ONE program. Two is okay, three acceptable, four is pushing the limit.
Good luck.

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