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How to approach LORs - went to large public school
Mustbe8Characters
Member
Hi everyone,
I was wondering if you guys had insight as to what I should do. I went to a pretty large public school where, for most of my classes, I had hundreds of people in my class. I had a select few smaller classes with 20-40 people, so I was thinking about asking the professors from those classes. Problem is that I don't have a particularly close relationship with any single one of those professors nor am I sure they even remember me anymore (as it's been several years since I left school). I've heard a lot of people suggest putting together a packet of information to help the professor write the LOR. However, I find it a little weird to pop out of nowhere to ask a professor who may or may not remember me for a LOR. Do you guys think I should still just put together a packet, email the professor or hope for the best? Or should do something like request a coffee chat or check-in lunch etc. before asking for an LOR?
Thanks!!
Comments
This sounds like a great question for @"david.busis" 's webinar tonight: https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/11368/webinar-admissions-overview-weds-june-14th-9pm-est
If you are near and it's possible, asking in person is definitely the best option. It will give them more opportunity to remember you (face/voice/attitude/persona/etc), and it's also harder for them to just ignore your request entirely. If you think you don't have the greatest relationship, you should definitely emphasize that you are looking for strong LoR's, and not just a bland and generic one. It's not unprecedented for you to explicitly ask if they'd feel comfortable writing you a strong letter. If they hesitate or don't sound truthful when agreeing, cut your losses and move on.
If you've been out of school for awhile it's definitely common practice to get LoR's from employers or supervisors (if you are doing military/peacecorps/etc). David has awesome advice so definitely try to attend his webinar tonight though for a professional opinion!
Yeah, this is a hard question and perfect for David. I also went to a large state school and in many of my classes there could easily be 100+ people.
First question: When are you applying and when do you need the letters by?
Thanks, everyone for all of your responses! I really apprecaite it!
And to answer your question, I think it was misleading when I said that I've been out of school for a while. I've been out of school for a little bit more than two years, but haven't seen any of my professors since I graduated. I do plan on getting a recommendation from an employer, but wasn't quite sure how to approach that either. I've been at my job for more than a year, but I'm almost afraid to ask because it would imply that I am leaving the job and I'm not sure how they would react to that. If you have any pointers for how to ask an employer as well, that would be great!
Ohhhh! I understand much better house. Unfortunately, asking professors once you are our of UG is completely out of my wheel house. I have heard to put together a "package." This would entail a short statement of interest/intent (ex. why you want to go to law school?) The class you took with the professor, grade received, any papers or assignments, academic resume (so do make sure to include any honors, awards, and the like) etc. Essentially you want to refresh their memory of you. If you live close enough to the university, perhaps you could find them during their office hours or arrange a time to meet by phone. I am sure @"david.busis" will have much better advice in this department. That is some solid sounding advice I simply have heard echoed around here, TLS, reddit.
One thing though, It is extremely fortunate that you'll be able to rely on one from an employer; I think that is a really great thing. I have 2 academic ones but got an employer one too just in case. I worked at a big company where I was a lowly-unimportant cog. So when I asked for my letter, they kind of knew what the deal was. I also think the position I was in tended to be one where people are either up or out within 2-3 years. So I did 2.5 and it helped.
Are you in any position like that? If so, I think a straight ask is perfectly fine/standard. I asked one of my immediate supervisors whom I got my work from. He knew I did a good job and we'd had gotten drinks together and had some good times. And most importantly, he knew the importance the letter would have. If you're at a smaller place or closer-knit company, I would have the same question. I'd imagine if you've done good work they can't fault you for advancing your education. Or at least I'd hope they wouldn't?
It never hurts to ask. Don't smack the professor with a packet initially, just write a polite feeler email with (1) a reminder of who you are, (2) a reminder of what class you took with her, (3) a one or two-sentence update and ask ("Since college, I've been... and I was wondering if you might..."), (4) a bridge to more ("If so, I'd be happy to send you more information"), and (5) a gracious out ("I completely understand if you don't feel you can write me a strong recommendation").
Last week I did exactly what David said in the above post and both of the professors that I asked have agreed to write me a letter of rec. I crafted my feeler emails using a combination of the templates in the link below. They are crafted for prospective med students; however, they are still pretty helpful.
http://edityour.net/email-templates-for-asking-for-a-letter-of-recommendation/
@LSAT2017123 I am in a similar position. Graduated UG in 2012, worked until 2016, travelled for 6 months, then began studying and working part time.
I did just what @"david.busis" suggest regarding former professors. My professor did remember me and said he was "happy to write it". We even had a brief unrelated chat and it was a very nice. Unfortunately, the LOR came back and it was totally bland. Almost none of the packet information I shared was included and he may have simply used a model and swapped out the name/class/year etc. So I definitely don't want to use that.
But, as in your case, I went to a giant school and did not develop many (any?) substantive relationships with professors or administrators. To be completely honest, I was simply pursuing a 3.5 gpa to graduate and get a job with (I plan to write about this regret in my application). I will have a solid LOR from my former manager, but I am left with little choice on my academic LOR.
@"david.busis" I wasn't able to ask this particular question during the call so maybe you will be able to answer now. I won't be taking the test until December of this year. That will put me late in the cycle. I am considering returning to school for a masters in philosophy and applying next year. I know that master's recos don't look as good because, as you said, master's programs are seen as "easier", but would this approach I've laid out be my best option? That way, I could apply early in the cycle next, have a better chance at a strong academic LOR, and have an additional experience to convey how my pursuit of mediocrity in UG is behind me and it's not returning.
@jkatz1488 You're going to enroll in a one-year master's program? It's probably a little late to apply for this fall, no?
Anyway, the short answer is yes—you'd have a slightly stronger application if could get a really wonderful LOR from a graduate professor and apply early. That doesn't necessarily mean it's worth it, though. You'll have to weigh your plan against the downside of, essentially, putting your life on hold for a year. (Unless you want a master's in philosophy anyway).