Most college applications, scholarships, and graduate programs request two or three recommendation letters from people who know you inside and outside the classroom. Even if you have laid the necessary groundwork for recommendations through academics and involvement, requesting the letters can still sometimes be tricky. Here are 5 steps to requesting letters that will help you get the BEST recommendations for your applications. Faculty friends – feel free to share with your students!

This post was originally shared in 2015 and has been updated in 2023 to reflect changes in current processes.

Step 1: Preparation

Before approaching anyone to ask them to write a letter of recommendation, prepare your materials. In addition to the name of the institution you are applying to, you should have a current resume that includes your campus involvement. Step 3 has more details.

Know the Process

Colleges will typically ask for the recommendation to be submitted via a platform or more rarely sent directly. Whatever the process, before you approach a faculty member or advisor, know what the process is AND note the due date.

Ask Early

Plan to request the letters at one month in advance. It takes time and care to write a good letter and it is more than likely that your professor or advisor will have many requests for recommendation letters so you may have to get in line. Never request a letter fewer than two weeks before the deadline without a face-to-face meeting with the person you are asking to write explaining why the request is coming so late. Last minute requests lead to last minute recommendations and the selection committee at your potential college will know a last minute recommendation when they see one.

Step 2: Selecting Letter-Writers

Read the application carefully. Applications will sometimes require the letter(s) to be from a professor who can speak to your academic abilities or from an individual like a club advisor who can speak to your involvement. If not specified, be sure to select at least one professor who specializes in the field you are majoring in who can speak to your ability to contribute to this field. Also look to your club and organization advisors who can not only speak to your involvement but also to your leadership abilities.

Consider the following questions when selecting who to ask:

• Does this professor know my name?
• Have I ever spoken to this professor outside of class?
• Did this professor give me a grade of ‘B’ or higher in the course?
• Have I taken more than one course with this professor?

Choose a professor who can write a letter that includes specifics about your personal characteristics or accomplishments rather than “glittering generalities.” The more you can answer “yes” to the questions above, the greater the likelihood you’re making a wise choice.

Step 3: Making the Request

Requesting a letter of recommendation is best done in person during your professor’s office hours or before or after class followed up with an email reminder. Schedule a short meeting and bring all your materials with you. Your goal should be to make the process as clear as possible for your professor, especially if you are asking them to write more than one letter.

During the meeting, give the professor as much information about you as possible. Provide some or all of the following:

• Information about your experiences with the letter-writer (e.g., courses taken, class project topics, etc.)
• Your resume which should include:
  • Your involvement in clubs, organizations, honor societies and programs
  • Awards that you have won
  • Relevant work experience or internships
  • Service activities such as Service Learning volunteer work
• Information about the college and program to which you’re applying:
  • Why you want to attend the college and enroll in the program
  • Copies of admissions essays if available
• Anything that makes you unique
• Anything you want included in the letter

If you are unable to make the request in person, you may consider e-mailing the request. If you plan to e-mail a request follow the guideline for writing an e-mail request at the end of this guide.

Step 4: Follow up

1 Week before the deadline, take responsibility for checking with the college admissions office, scholarship program, or graduate school to verify that the recommendation was received. If not, send a brief, polite e-mail to the professor to check in.

Step 5: Thank You

Always say thank you. I recommend sending a hand-written thank you note or a note via e-mail. It’s not only polite thing to do, but you never know when it will pay benefits down the road. You may need another letter at another time, or if you’re in a similar field, they may be able to assist you at some other time. If the letter does the trick and you are admitted or awarded a scholarship, call the professor to share the good news! WE LOVE GOOD NEWS!

Quick Tips

• Some professors will not respond to being asked for a letter of recommendation via e-mail. Visiting the professor in office hours, scheduling an appointment, or making a phone call make it easier to get a response. If you request via e-mail follow the guide below.
• If the professor provides a clue that their recommendation won’t be as favorable as you might like, thank them for their consideration and tell them that you have located another letter-writer.
• Remember that professors are not obligated to write recommendations. Your professors have generally spent decades working very hard to build their reputation. Whenever they write a recommendation, they are putting that reputation on the line.
• Do not list people “who can recommend you positively” without prior agreement with them no matter how familiar you are with them.

How to Request a Letter by E-mail

If you cannot schedule an appointment with your letter-writer in person during their office hours, requesting a letter via e-mail is an option. You must still follow step 1 and 2 above and plan on making the request at least one month in advance.

Put “Recommendation for [your name]?” as the subject line.

Address the letter properly. Use the professor’s appropriate title. If you were on a first name basis (meaning they specifically asked you to call them by their first name and you did so constantly) address them by their first name. When in doubt, use their title. “Dear Professor Ravenwood” or “Dear Dr. Ravenwood”

Start the first paragraph by stating what you want. “I am writing to ask if you would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for me.” In the next few sentences, lay out the facts:

• Your name, year in school, and major
• Which course or courses you took with this professor and when
• Why you need a recommendation [that is, what you are applying for]
• When the recommendation letter is due

Outline your relationship with the professor in the following paragraph and point out why you have asked him or her specifically. Tell a little about yourself and why you are interested in the college, scholarship, graduate program, or job for which you need the recommendation.

• “I chose to apply to this college because I was extremely excited about their tribal artifacts department and the opportunity to study under Dr. Jones.”
• Does this professor have any special connection you are aware of to this company or place of employment? Or if it’s a school, is s/he an alumnus? If so, include it.
• If your experience with this professor had any influence on your choice, say so.

Use the next paragraph as an opportunity to hint at what you’d like the professor to say about you. You’ll want to include any information about yourself which they may not be aware of. Attach your resume and any other helpful documents including the application essays.

Give them the details. Tell them where the letter needs to be submitted and when you need it so they know the time frame.

Close with information about how you will follow-up. “I am attaching a copy of my resume and my essays to this email. Please let me know if you need any additional information. I’ll also send you an email reminder a week before the recommendation is due.”

Thank them, whether or not they write the letter. “Thank you in advance for your time, and consideration. I also wanted to extend an additional thank you for the time I spent under your instruction. I really enjoyed your course, and I can’t express how much I’ve taken away from Archaeology 101.” If they were truly that special teacher, you can be more effusive in your praise.

Follow through as promised by delivering necessary materials and sending a reminder. Follow up the e-mail with a phone call if you haven’t heard anything in a week, two at the most. If you need to call, don’t assume anything. First, see if they’ve even seen your e-mail. If not, be prepared to do your request verbally.

Sample E-mail

Subject: Recommendation for Lara Croft

Dear Professor Ravenwood,

I am writing to ask if you would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for me (due May 1). I am currently completing my associates and I was a student in your archaeology 101 course in fall 2053. I am applying to attend Marshall College and seeking to major in archaeology. I chose to apply to Marshall because I was extremely excited about their tribal artifacts department and the opportunity to study under Dr. Henry Jones. In our class we often did hands on activities that brought the material to life and you often spoke about his work. This is what inspired me to declare archeology as my major.

I am attaching a copy of my resume with information about my campus involvement and my admission essays to this email. If you are able to write on my behalf, I will enter your information and you will receive an invitation from the XYZ Platform to submit by May 1. Please let me know if you need any additional information. I’ll also send you an email reminder a week before the recommendation is due.

Thank you in advance for your time, and consideration. I also wanted to extend an additional thank you for the time I spent under your instruction. I really enjoyed your course, and I can’t express how much I’ve taken away from archaeology 101.

Thank you,

Lara Croft
ID: 123456

This post was originally shared in 2015 and has been updated in 2023 to reflect changes in current processes.