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Does anyone have any advice on how to reconnect with professors years out of college?
I did not keep in touch with my professors and would like to get in touch with them again as someone 5+ years out of undergrad.
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Does anyone have any advice on how to reconnect with professors years out of college?
I did not keep in touch with my professors and would like to get in touch with them again as someone 5+ years out of undergrad.
4 comments
Same boat. I looked at my transcript, saw whose classes I took later in my undergrad years + identified the ones I either helped out in labs or spend a lot of time in office hours with. I was able to get one out of four to write the letter. It only takes one! The other letter I'll have completed by a boss. I was able to access my old college email account and use the college site to find emails. I also offered a call in my initial email requested. I opted to wait until I got a yes before sending the resume, why law, etc stuff
One thing you might want to do is acknowledge that you're aware it's been a while. If they think you're expecting the most vivid, detailed rec letter five years out, they may be hesitant to agree to it. If, from the beginning, you say that recognize a lot of time has passed, but you're happy to provide any assignments, updates, resumes, personal statements, zoom calls, etc., I think you're more likely to get a positive response.
Logistically, pretty much all email addresses can be found online through the school's website, but I feel like you've probably gathered that. You can also try reaching out to the department; if the professor has switched institutions or retired, they should have some kind of forwarding address on file.
As someone who also had to reach out 5+ years after undergrad, I found it really helpful to mention something specific about the class in my reach-out email. For an English prof, I mentioned a book we read; for STEM, you might need to be more creative, but maybe you can mention something about a principle or skill they taught that you still used, even if it was just to help understand a technical article. Even if they don't remember you, showing that you at least retained some piece of information can be helpful to demonstrate how much the class resonated with you.
I hope that's at least somewhat helpful, and good luck!
I would recommend connecting with them on LinkedIn & sending them a message after they've accepted. You could also just send them a brief email using their university email address. Most profs/teachers in general are really happy to hear from previous students regardless of how long it's been. Best of luck!