School and university
How to ask a teacher or professor for a recommendation letter
Ask in person or in a short message a few weeks ahead, and say what the letter is for. Remind them what you worked on together and bring ready material: your CV, the program description, a list of what you did in their class. Leave an easy way out too, because no letter is better than a lukewarm one.
How to handle this conversation
Remind them who you are
Lecturers see hundreds of students. “My group did the project on city transport, and I presented the results” helps them place you right away.
Say what the letter is for
A program, a scholarship, a job. The better the writer knows what matters, the more specific the letter will be.
Make it easy
Offer: “I can send a short summary of my work in your class and the program requirements.” Ready material cuts the writing time in half.
Leave room for a no
Ask: “Do you feel you know my work well enough to write a strong letter?” A no now is better than a weak letter later.
I am asking for a recommendation letter
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Duration
- 5-8 minutes
The situation
You are applying for an exchange program or graduate study abroad and need a recommendation letter from a lecturer. The best fit is the seminar leader who gives you good grades and whose project you are working on, but you only ever talk in class. The application is due in five weeks. You approach her after the seminar.
Who you talk to
The seminar lecturer
Kind but busy, writing several letters like this this semester. She does not remember the details of your work and wonders whether she knows you well enough to write more than a generic letter.
The counterpart also has private goals and information that are never shown upfront. You discover them only through the conversation, the same way you would in real life.
What makes it hard
- The lecturer says she has a lot on her plate right now.
- She asks whether someone who has known you longer would be a better choice.
- She asks you to write a draft of the letter yourself, and you have no idea where to start.
Your goals
- Ask for the letter clearly and say what it is for
- Recall specific shared work that justifies the request
- Agree on a deadline and the material you will send
What the report looks at
- Whether the request is direct and made well in advance
- Whether you mention specific achievements rather than generalities
- How you respond to hesitation and lack of time
- Whether the conversation ends with an agreed deadline and material