Ohio Wesleyan Department of Psychology

HOW TO ASK A PROFESSOR FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

The professors in the Psychology Department are sincerely interested in helping you advance your career. One of the ways we can do that is by writing accurate and persuasive letters of recommendation for employment and graduate school. We can help you, but only if you help us by providing useful information in a timely way. Few students have any experience in asking for letters of recommendation and they are likely to have trouble putting themselves in the shoes of their professors. The purpose of this guide is to help students ask for letters in ways that will maximize the quality of the letters that are sent and reduce any frustration or misunderstanding in the process.

There are four components to asking for letters of recommendation: Timing, Background Information, Reasons, and Process. Each of these is discussed in turn.

Timing

First contact the professor at least one month prior to the need for your first letter. E-mailing this request is fine. If it has been some years or even several semesters, remind the professor of who you are and in what context you knew the professor. Briefly explain the nature of your request--- a letter for employment, internship, graduate school--- and the timeline you are working on. Ask if the professor feels comfortable writing a letter.

Assuming the answer is "yes, I will write a letter" provide the professor with a packet of information no later than three weeks prior to the first letter's deadline. It is unfair to ask a person to write letters (especially more than one or two) with virtually no time to do it. This is especially a problem when some letters are due at schools on December 15 and professors have finals to write and grade in a two-week flurry of activity just prior to that date.

Background information

In the packet you send to the recommender, include the following:

1. The courses you took with the professor and the semester and year in which they occurred. Similarly indicate the semester and year in which you were supervised for research or internships.

2. Provide an up-to-date transcript of your work at Ohio Wesleyan and a resume of activities outside of the classroom and during the summers. If any of these activities are relevant to your proposed employment or graduate work, circle these so it is easy for the recommender to know what links they should make.

3. If you have been in the workforce for some time, detail the responsibilities your work entailed. Indicate how your work experiences contribute to your desire for new employment or graduate work.

4. If you wrote a major paper for the professor (a PSYC 410 project or directed readings paper), include a copy.

Reasons

Prospective graduate students should have researched why they want to enter the graduate field they propose and how they are a good fit for that career path. They should also research why they want to attend each school to which they apply. A part of that research is the name of one or two faculty members whose research or clinical work is a good fit with their own interests.

In the packet you send to the recommender, include the following:

A copy of the personal statement that you are sending to the graduate programs describing your aspirations and why you are a good prospect for graduate school success
.
A list of the schools to which you are applying and there deadlines.
For each school you should include the following information:
- the complete address for the graduate admissions office, regardless of whether the letter is sent to the school or the candidate. The reason for this is that all letters of recommendation need an inside address that includes the graduate admissions office, school name, street address, and city/state;
- the deadline when the letter must be completed;
- a brief explanation of why you want to attend the school. Leave out such reasons as geography, the location of a boy/girlfriend, and other reasons that the recommender will never put into a letter;
- the name(s) of one or two faculty in the department and their research/clinical interests;
- whether the letter is to be sent directly to the candidate (and signature put on the seal of the envelope) or sent to the school
- the school's letter of recommendation form with all sections completed by the student that should be. Crucial is for the student to sign indicating either that they waive their right to see the letter (the generally accepted approach) or that they do not waive this;
- a stamped, business-size envelope with the relevant address (the school or the candidate)

Process

You should draw up a chart listing all of your schools, the letter writers, and the deadlines. It is okay to remind or gently ask professors if they have gotten your letter written and sent if the deadline is within two weeks. As the letters go out, you should check off each school.

Do enough advance research so that the packet of schools is the final list of schools to which you are applying. Only under extenuating circumstances should you ask your professors to write additional letters for new schools.

It is definitely a good idea to write your letter writers a "thank you" note. It is even better to let the professors know whether you got into graduate school or got the job when you learn.

If you adhere to these guidelines your professors will have warm and positive thoughts about you. This, in turn, can't help but improve the things they say about you in their letters. And remember: many alumni come back later for a second set of letters when they decide to change careers.

And most of all, we wish you success in your search for an appropriate graduate program!

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