What is the best way to solicit a recommendation?

Question

I need to get recommendations from my professors for graduate school but only have one professor that I have had more than one class with. Admission to the grad program is more dependant on your fit with the faculty and their research areas then your grades or GRE score. Recommendations are very important and I have a 4.0 gpa, but how do I solicit one from a professor I have only had one class with? Can I approach a professor I have never had a class with but my interest is in his field of study and I would love wo work with him as a grad student. (He only teaches graduate level courses , which is why I have not had a class with him yet).

Answer 1

I don't know what your major is. But for a lot of majors, students often volunteer to work as a research assistant. Do you know any professors via this route? Also important is that if you just ask whatever professor to write you a letter, you need to ask yourself a question, how well does he or she know you? Is he or she able to write about you at a more personal level? Remember, what you need is letters that carry weight, namely strong letters. The least you want is a letter which contains words like "This student is never late for my class, and got an A in my class." This doesn't really show how much your professor knows you, and does not show the admissions office your academic potential. So when you are asking a professor, you need to think beforehand if you can get a strong letter. Also, if you really can't get strong letters, do you know any graduate students who know you well? When I was in college, I worked with several graduate students. I know one of them really well. So sometimes, despite the fact that graduate students do not have the name in the field, they may know you well enough to provide more insightful information in terms of your academic potential. If you've done research with a graduate student, you may also ask him or her to write a letter and ask him or her to ask the professor he or she works with to co-sign the letter. I once asked a graduate student to do this for me. To my surprise, the professor decided to write me a letter instead of co-signing it because she heard a lot about me from the graduate student since the project that I volunteered for was her project.

Answer 2

You must be pro-active if you want results. You can approach a professor with honesty and straightforwardness. The worst that can happen is that he turns you down.

Make an appointment with the professor. Take along a portfolio scrapbook or folder about you. It's time to give this guy a crash course in "you." Your portfolio should answer questions like, what are your goals? What life challenges have you faced? How did you face them? What's your work style? How do you work in a group? Alone? What are your outside the classroom interests, talents, goals? Where are you headed from here? Where do you want to be in 10 years? Why is this grad school a good fit?

If you want the recommendaiton, you'll have to go after it. Don't be shy, but don't be cocky. Dress for success for this meeting and be professional at all costs. Be gracious, polite and don't ask for an answer immediately. And if the professor does turn you down, ask for his advice on who you should ask, based on your history at the school and your goals.

Good luck!

Answer 3

You can ask anyone you want for a recommendation. Your job is to ask wisely. :)

It would not be wise to ask someone with whom you have never studied. It would be impossible for them to write anything that would be helpful to you, because they've never had you in class, they've never graded your papers, they've never heard you contribute in discussion, etc. If you do ask this professor, s/he should decline. But you should know better than to ask.

It is absolutely appropriate to ask a professor with whom you've only had one class. Just make an appointment, and at that appointment, ask them if they feel able to write a strong recommendation for you. (Notice the wording of that question. You've just given them the ability to decline gracefully if they cannot write a good recommendation.)

Have with you the following materials:
- Any papers (graded) that you wrote for them
- A resume
- A copy of the personal statement you wrote for at least one program, so the recommender can see how you are positioning yourself as a candidate (this is optional, but very helpful)
- The recommendation forms themselves, and the dates on which they are due.

Best wishes to you!