How to ask for a LOR from professors? Forum

[calmike]

Hello,
I do not have a close personal relationship with any of my former professors. I went to a large public university and studied political science which was one of the departments with the most number of students. How should I ask for a LOR from a professor that will not remember me? Should I only ask for letters from classes where I received an A- or A? I actually feel more comfortable asking for letters from professors of the classes where I earned a B. lol. Should I ask for letters by email? I am a 6-8 hour drive from my alma mater. I plan to submit my law school apps after December LSAT is reported.

[wombat2111]

Is there maybe a professor who was also an academic advisor? That could mean he or she would still have a file they could reference depending on how far out you are from undergrad. He or she might have a better chance at remembering you.

Or maybe a professor whom you had for several classes or completed a large project or paper for? Did you complete a thesis?

No matter what you choose, I don't think you necessarily have to drive back to do it in person, but I would try to contact them by phone first. Then you can send them more info via email if they agree to write it. Anything to try to make the process more personal.

I don't think you have to select the professors that gave you the best grades, but I would think about which professors might give you the best recommendation based on what you remember of their personalities or because they have the most likelihood of remembering you.

[hillz]

Hello,
I do not have a close personal relationship with any of my former professors. I went to a large public university and studied political science which was one of the departments with the most number of students. How should I ask for a LOR from a professor that will not remember me? Should I only ask for letters from classes where I received an A- or A? I actually feel more comfortable asking for letters from professors of the classes where I earned a B. lol. Should I ask for letters by email? I am a 6-8 hour drive from my alma mater. I plan to submit my law school apps after December LSAT is reported.

I went to a large state school and my dad currently teaches at one. I asked him about it, and he said that most profs who teach at large schools understand that it is often difficult for students to form relationships with profs there because there are usually so many large classes. So your profs are probably going to be more willing to write you a letter than you might expect, but you may have to ask around to find the best fit, as not everyone will be comfortable doing it.

Every prof is different in their communication preferences. If you're worried about the prof not remembering you, it might be better to send them an email with your transcript and resume and you can even include a pic to jog their memory (sounds weird, but they're used to it). Think about it - if you call a prof out of the blue, he or she is going to be scrambling to remember who you are. If you email, they'll have longer to think about it. Some sort of contact outside of email after your initial contact with them, whether it's talking on the phone or in person, will help the prof write you a better letter.

As far as who to ask, I think you should ask whoever knows you and your work the best. Preferably, this would be a teacher in a class where you got an A. You might also think about TAs - did you have any that you knew you particularly well? They are also qualified to write you a letter and might be able to write a more personal one. They can have the prof sign off on it.

[calmike]

Hello,
I do not have a close personal relationship with any of my former professors. I went to a large public university and studied political science which was one of the departments with the most number of students. How should I ask for a LOR from a professor that will not remember me? Should I only ask for letters from classes where I received an A- or A? I actually feel more comfortable asking for letters from professors of the classes where I earned a B. lol. Should I ask for letters by email? I am a 6-8 hour drive from my alma mater. I plan to submit my law school apps after December LSAT is reported.

I went to a large state school and my dad currently teaches at one. I asked him about it, and he said that most profs who teach at large schools understand that it is often difficult for students to form relationships with profs there because there are usually so many large classes. So your profs are probably going to be more willing to write you a letter than you might expect, but you may have to ask around to find the best fit, as not everyone will be comfortable doing it.

Every prof is different in their communication preferences. If you're worried about the prof not remembering you, it might be better to send them an email with your transcript and resume and you can even include a pic to jog their memory (sounds weird, but they're used to it). Think about it - if you call a prof out of the blue, he or she is going to be scrambling to remember who you are. If you email, they'll have longer to think about it. Some sort of contact outside of email after your initial contact with them, whether it's talking on the phone or in person, will help the prof write you a better letter.

As far as who to ask, I think you should ask whoever knows you and your work the best. Preferably, this would be a teacher in a class where you got an A. You might also think about TAs - did you have any that you knew you particularly well? They are also qualified to write you a letter and might be able to write a more personal one. They can have the prof sign off on it.

Wow thank you for your help. This is really valuable advice. I will keep you updated on what are my next steps.