yooo how do u email a prof for a recommendation letter?
Hi Professor!
I am in the process of applying to ____ and they require letters of rec. I sincerely enjoyed your classes, and felt that they gave me a particularly good chance to display my strengths, such as ____ [class participation, writing, etc.] and would love for you to write me a letter, if youâd be willing. The due date is ____, and I can send you further instructions for submission later if you accept.
Attached to this email is ____, the piece of work I did in your class which best showcases my abilities, as well as my current CV [or resume]. If you agree to write me a letter, soon I will also send you drafts of my ____ [statement of purpose, personal statement, application essays, other relevant material] for my application to aid in your writing. I am also happy to meet in person to discuss this with you.
I want to stress that this application is quite competitive, so if you feel you will not be able to write me a strong letter then I completely understand - but please let me know. Thank you so much for your time!
Sincerely, ____
â
a few notes:
- you should have all your relevant materials (app essays, etc.) sent to them *at least* a month in advance to give them ample time to write the letter
- thus, your initial email asking them if theyâd be willing to write a letter for you should be sent *over* a month in advance. professors are busy
- if you are applying for a really prestigious position/scholarship/fellowship, or grad school, itâs best to have at least a majority of your letter writers be professors (rather than adjuncts or post docs). ideally youâd want them to be full/tenured professors. in lots of cases, especially academic ones, *who* writes your letter matters - not just *whatâs in* your letter
- the reason you send them the piece of work you did in their class that you are most proud of is to remind them of your abilities as a student and the quality of the work you produced for them. they have lots of students. sometimes they need a bit of help jogging their memory of exactly what you did in their class.
- the reason you send them your other application materials (personal statement, statement of purpose, CV) is so that they have information to draw from when writing your letter. they know what youâre passionate about, what you hope to do in the future, other experience you have, and can use this information when writing your letter
- on a similar note, this is also why youâd want to list the strengths you displayed in their class
- basically, you want to give them as much information as you can about your strengths, goals, and intentions - give them prompts they can use to write your letter
- the bit at the end about asking for a âstrong letterâ is important because some professors can only write you mediocre letters (e.g. âthis student was always on time to class and gave their undivided attention during lectureâ - what does this tell admission committees? well, it tells them that the professor has nothing positive to say about your *academic* abilities and so theyâre resorting to other strengths. itâs a polite way of saying âthis student was okay, but not spectacular in any notable wayâ. big red flag for admissions committees.) if all youâre going to get is a mediocre letter, you might as well not get a letter at all
- if the professor you ask accepts, then be sure to send them polite reminders as the date approaches. (i usually send a reminder at the 1-month-till-due-date mark when i send the other application materials, and then again at the 2 week and 1 week marks, and, if necessary, every day after the final 3 days leading up to the due date
â
i know this was a lot, but i remember being in your shoes and being completely lost when it came to applying for stuff so i know how daunting it can be. i figured iâd just throw all this information at you to be of as much help as possible.
for reference, iâve applied to graduate programs, fellowships, and scholarships. i have been accepted into several of the top 10 graduate programs in my area, as well as received multiple scholarships and a fellowship, and received honorable mentions for some of the most competitive fellowships in the US. i have also worked with the admissions committee at my graduate program to organize multiple informational events for those interested in applying to graduate school and, in the process, have learned a lot about what makes a strong application.
so while you should absolutely take my advice with a grain of salt (different circumstances call for different standards), i do have quite a bit of experience with applications and what makes a strong letter of rec.
i hope this helped! best of luck with whatever youâre applying for :)
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This is so helpful and one of the most realistic ones I've ever read. Can't wait to apply this soon!
Academic Success Tips from My Parents
Out of all the things my parents enforced in my siblings and I, the most profound were educational and life success tips. Legit would get 100% regardless of the subject/ course/ workload. Hereâs a bunch of them.
Before class:
Spend no more than a quarter of the journey to class chilling.Â
Organize your study materials according to subject. Files and folders in the back, then textbooks, then notebooks. Stationery in appropriate places.
Always carry a folder full of blank sheets (plain, graphed, all the kinds!).
Fix your bag before you sleep. Hang your wristwatch on the strap so you donât forget it when you go.
Clear your desk/study area as soon as youâre done - youâre not allowed to move out of that spot until you do.
If you have a study journal/ school diary/ study guide, read it everyday before class.Â
Be the first one there, at least 15 minutes early (30 mins to an hour early is favourable).
If the teacher walks in, you better greet them with a smile, regardless if theyâre crabby or not. Everyday.
You have the option to relax and do whatever before the teacher walks in. However, you have to preview the lesson before it starts. No exceptions.
Make âpreviewâ notes, which is basically little helpful tidbits about whatâs to come, stuff youâre not sure about, questions and guides, how formulas connect - literally anything thatâll make the class go smoother for you.
During class:
You can talk to your friends before class, but as soon as it starts, not a word or glance in their direction.
Have all your materials either out if you have the space, or within reach.Â
Listen carefully and take notes where appropriate (on printed ppts, on the corners and margins of the textbook, or an actual notebook), always, every class. Thereâs no such thing as âI didnât take any notes todayâ or âThere wasnât anything going onâ.Â
Always write the date and the day. Make an index as you go.
No highlighters during class. Underline textbooks with pencil only, and use pencils for sketches.
Whenever a teacher assigns work or extra readings or reference materials, write them down - always. Optional or not.
You better write down test/ quiz/ exam dates, even if theyâre happening the next day and youâll obviously remember.Â
Speaking of exams, if the teacher mentions that word, write down everything they say, dialogue tags and all.
Answer as much questions as you can. It would be favourable if you answer twice per class or more, but itâs fine if you donât. Your performance matters more.
Give people a chance to answer and ask questions.
Listen to what theyâre saying and what response the teacher gives, even if you know it. Listening skills are important.
If an exercise is assigned during class, get on it like itâs an exam, and show the teacher your work (if possible) for corrections. Â
If thereâs a couple minutes before the class ends, but the teacherâs lesson finished for whatever reason (a final exercise is going on and you finished, theyâre taking questions etc.) you keep to yourself if youâre not talking to the teacher. Read a book, do some work, anything productive.
You can help your friends and classmates now. Never say no, even if youâre not sure, say so and let them know youâre willing to struggle with them for a solution.
If you lend stationery, get it back before you bounce.
Arrange your materials backwards as you go through the day.
If you have another class right after, you better get over there immediately. It doesnât matter if youâve gotten more than enough time to mess around. Take your friends if you if youâd like.
During breaks:
Study, read, review, or preview. Something light for at least a quarter of the break this time.
If someone asks for help, help them (again). Itâs good practice for you to see if you understand, and itâs good practice for when you go out into the world.
NEVER GO TO TEACHERS UNLESS ITâS ABSOLUTELY DETRIMENTAL.
If you have nothing light you can do, you can do whatever.Â
After class:
Start by finishing all your homework. It isnât due this week? Doesnât matter. Always do your homework as soon as itâs assigned.
Once youâre done with your homework, check your study journal/ school diary/ study guide again. Take note of whatâs coming up.
stUDY NOW PLEASE. All the subjects / courses youâll have tomorrow should be either a) memorized if you didnât have more than an hour of homework time or b) read and reviewed and tried and tested if you did.Â
You can use highlighters now. Make summary notes and formula master lists.Â
Organize your stuff again.Â
Youâre caught up with everything and barely did an hour today? Time to bust out the optional readings then.
You have no extra stuff too? Time to go on the computer and get some resources yourself.Â
If thereâs a big project, plan every step with excessively precise details. Follow them. Donât forget to add buffers in case you miss something.
You missed something? Plan all over again.Â
Go to sleep by 7 if youâre in school and 10 if youâre in college. You havenât finished studying? Iâll wake you up at ž in the morning then.
Did I mention do your assignments the day theyâre assigned to you?
No relaxing till the weekend. You wake up, go to classes, come back, shower, eat, then study until you go to bed. Oh, and lay out your clothes right down to the shoes and socks (accessories too) right before you do.
Weekends:
Sike. You only get one day off.Â
(Legit tho, back in the day, my work week was from Sunday to Thursday, and my parents would allow Thursday night and half of Friday off. We had to get up at eight-thirty in the morning max and study until lunch with zero breaks. Lunch would usually be at 1:30 pm. You can forget about most of Saturday too. Weâd study till lunch, then have to go back again until late afternoon (about 5:30 pm - 4:30 if we were lucky). And then of course, since we were starting back on Sunday, weâd be in bed by 7. People would wonder how in the world weâd be able to sleep at 7 with all that we had to do as students - now you know.)
Donât get me started on exams lol. This may seem harsh, but without this type of discipline, I wouldnât be doing as okay as I do now with the subpar standards Iâve seemed to developed in college. Well. Iâve got a bunch of other things I used to do (some still do), as these are only the ones I could remember on the top of my head. More coming soon maybe?
Hope this helps you!
EDIT: DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT ADVOCATING ILL-HEALTH. THIS IS ONLY THE ACADEMIC ASPECT OF MY LIFE, NOT THE ENTIRETY OF IT. IF YOUâRE TRIGGERED, READ THIS. THANKSS.
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