Requesting LOR from Professors you have not kept in touch with

jjoushlyn

Hey Everyone,

I am getting ready to request my letters of rec for law school. I am going on my second year out of being out of college, and I have a really strong work and volunteer (community) recs in mind. However, I am not sure how to get ask my one of my professors for a letter of rec. I have two that I knew well because I was in office hours a lot, and one of them wrote me a letter for a program before..but I forgot to keep in touch. Anyone have any examples of how they would approach a professor that has helped them before but they haven't kept it touch with?
I am asking because I feel its weird after two years just to pop up in email asking for something.

Pride Only Hurts

I didn’t ask via email. I just emailed and asked if we could meet! Then I met with them over some coffee, caught up and naturally it came up once I mentioned I was working on my apps. Both professors actually offered it as soon as I mentioned I was applying.

SuperMario929

I think e-mailing is fine. I've written plenty of LORs before for students (I'm in grad school so I TA--these are for internships and study abroad). They are a time-suck, so just providing as much info up front as possible is always helpful. Your CV, what points you would like the writer to bring up, how you did on certain assignments/what you wrote about are all good things to include. I also recommend giving a small gift as thanks (note: I've never gotten any, but when I've asked for LORs I usually get some nice jam at a farmer's market or something like that as a thank you). If this person has written for you before, they will likely not need to do a lot of work to submit the new one, so it shouldn't be too much work for them.

LORs are part of the job description for professors. I wouldn't worry too much about asking--and I am sure that they will be delighted to hear from you anyway. Just be nice in your e-mail and I'm sure they will not decline!

Hopeful9812

All great suggestions mentioned above! Quite honestly, don't worry about not keeping in touch! It can feel weird but based on what you wrote- how you attended their office hours, etc- chances are they will remember you and won't mind writing one. As a TA, I always appreciate when a student offers to provide me with a draft or an outline of what they want me to include in the recommendation letter. A lot of students don't do that but I really like it and several professors that I work with also really like it when students offer.

studyingandrestudying

If your LinkedIn or similar has a thumbnail picture, you could send them that profile, maybe.

thedramallama

I’m glad this discussion was brought up because I’m planning on asking for recs as well. I went to a large university, so professor student interaction was rare or just really difficult bc so many of my classes had100+ students. That being said, I had a lot of TAs whom I was close to. Would it be okay for a law school app to use a rec letter from a TA? Or would schools take that as a no-no. Thanks!

studyingandrestudying

I think one from a TA would be fine if you interacted with them more.

Selene Steelman

Letters of recommendation are a very important part of the application because they show the admissions committee (1) what sort of impact you had on someone in your life, (2) your judgment in selecting a particular recommender, and (3) your potential for success in law school. You should only select recommenders who can promise to write STRONG and POSITIVE letters of recommendation. In fact, you can politely ask them: “Are you able to write a strong and positive letter of recommendation for me?”

The recommender’s title is not important. Their relationship to you and their knowledge of your work product is important. The best recommenders would have been able to observe you in settings where your skills would factor into success in law school. The strongest and most effective letters are SPECIFIC and ENTHUSIASTIC.

If possible, provide your recommender with some, all, or at least one of the following aids before they try to write your letter:

(1) your current resume,
(2) your LSAT score(s),
(3) your current transcript,
(4) a draft of your personal statement, and
(5) a brief summary or bulleted highlights of the significant academic or professional work you would like them to remember.

Provide a deadline date by which you would like them to submit the letter to LSAC. Propose a date that leaves enough cushion for possible delays in writing the letter. Good luck!