How do I go about asking my professor for a future recommendation letter?
My semester will be ending soon, which means I will no longer be having a class with my professor. I plan on graduating in December 09′ which is almost 2 years. I want to ask my professor now if he would be interested in writing me a recommendation letter for graduate school sometime next year. Is it ok to give him a heads-up? How do I go about this?
Professors are usually pretty lenient about it. I asked my professor the last day of class after I finished my exam, I gave her a pre-addressed envelope and said she could write and send it within 2 months. I don’t think it would be a problem to ask in advance, but I also don’t think it will be necessary.
Make an app’t. with him if he/she asks why ask then.
Yes, ask him now. Maybe before or after class. They are used to getting that question. I assume you are doing good in the class so I’m sure he will say yes.
Yes it is ok to ask him to write you a letter as I do it all the time. Have a great day!
HI professor so and so, may you write a recommendation letter for __________________________.
After he/she has done so, it is very polite and recommended to give him/her a thank you letter or a good phone call for doing so.
Ask now…it’s best to get a letter while the professor’s memory of you and your performance is fresh, and it’s always a good time to give professors as much time as possible to write a letter (they can be infamous about taking ages to write them, despite their best intentions).
Make an appointment or attend office hours and just ask. Bring a CV with you, or offer to provide it. If you had to write papers for the class, some professors might want a copy of your paper for reference. Other professors might want a copy of your personal statement (which is a little early for you) or just an informal explanation of your goals in terms of grad school. Just be polite and ask whether your professor would like you to provide any information or materials. It’s natural to be nervous, so don’t worry.
I’d also check out your school’s system concerning LORs in advance…is there a central filing office that they get sent to, or is your professor going to have to hold on to them, etc. (each school is different…your adviser should be able to help). Also check to see if there’s a waiver you need to fill out and provide to the professor (check if your school has a generic one, or check some of the grad school programs you’re considering). Many grad schools prefer to receive LORs directly from profs/schools, so it might not be acceptable for you to hold on to the LOR. Good luck!
First, stop by your career planning office. My school kept reccomendation letters on file for students to use for grad school apps. That way, if you applied a couple of years later you had the letter from when the professor’s memory was fresh.
If your school doesn’t offer this service, you probably should wait to say anything. Reccomendation letters are strongest when you have had the professor for multiple classes or worked with outside of class and in two years he may not be the best choice. If you don’t have any profs who you have taken multiple classes from or worked with, asking someone recent is much better.
If you have taken multiple classes with this professor but don’t think you will take another, send him/her an email explaining that you plan to apply for grad school in December 2009 (or whenever) and were wondering if he/she would be willing to write you a recco. DO NOT ask if they are “interested” in writing you a recco, ask if they would be able to write you one. Attach your resume, a summary of your grad school goals and the classes you have taken with the prof. Remember, if you won’t graduate until December 2009, your reccos won’t be due in until around then anyway (few grad programs have midyear acceptances and those that do usually have deadlines around Sept for January admission).