Skip to main content

Asking for a Letter of Reference


The Huffington Post published an article a few years back giving college students some ideas about things they might want to ask their professors and also topics from which they probably want to steer clear. Today’s question that you might want to ask your instructor: can I count on you to write me a good reference letter?

I’ve had many students ask me to write a letter of reference over the years and this can make for a very awkward discussion in some cases. A letter of reference means that this instructor is putting their reputation on the line and vouching for you as a good, hard-working student and human. So before you even ask for a letter of reference, here are some things to consider:

·         Do you know the instructor well enough to ask for a letter of reference? If you don’t have a solid professional/academic relationship with your instructor, you shouldn’t be asking for a letter of reference.

·         Are you involved with research conducted by your instructor? If so, it’s definitely appropriate to ask for a letter of reference. If an instructor trusts you enough to have you work in their laboratory or doing research with/for them, then you have built a professional repertoire with them.

·         Have you worked on out-of-class projects with the instructor? This gives your instructor a basis on which to know and observe you outside of the classroom where your true personality and nature can shine. In this case, you can absolutely ask for a letter of reference.

·         Are you a good student? If you consistently miss class, score poorly on exams, or don’t submit homework, you probably don’t want a letter of reference from that instructor. Letters of reference typically come in a sealed envelope and you won’t be able to read them yourself, so if you’re not a good student you can’t trust that the instructor will give you a positive letter of reference.

As you can see, asking for a letter of reference should really be the culmination of a relationship that you have nurtured and developed with your instructor(s). Doing your best work and being friendly with your classmates and instructors will build the community you will need to not only be successful in your classes, but also in your pursuit of internships, co-ops, and jobs! Do your best work and it will always reward you!

Kelley

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Snail’s Pace of Mid-Semester

I mean. Really. Could the semester be any longer? Has time slowed down? Someone call an astrophysicist because I think something’s wrong with the axial rotation of the earth as well as the earth’s orbit around the sun. If you find that mid-semester is the part of the marathon-that-is-college that completely drags you down, you’re not alone. Every semester, right around this time, I have the most student absences, unsubmitted papers, and dropouts. Seeing as every semester has a mid-semester slump, you can’t just quit after eight weeks every semester – time to make some plans and get some perspective! The next two or three weeks are typically the hardest to make a success, so it’s critical that you focus – right this very minute – on what you need to do to be successful for the rest of the semester. Let’s take a look at a few highlights you will want to remember: ·          Repeat after me: you’re already past the halfway...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sabotage Part 3: Grades

Grades are a big part of college life. You need a minimum GPA to stay enrolled in a college or university, to be able to transfer schools, to enroll in specialty programs (nursing, physical therapy school, graduate school, etc.), and you definitely need a minimum GPA to keep your parents happy if they’re helping foot the bill for college. So if there’s something you might consider not sabotaging, grades are a good place to start. Earning grades is a tough, long process, but sabotaging your grades is a quick and easy task from which recovery can be difficult if not impossible. Sabotaging your grades can show up in many forms. But let’s start by taking a look at your priorities. Making your education a priority in your life is critical to your success as a student, however I strongly suggest that education is not your top priority. Your health and well-being should come first over anything else and when you think about it it makes complete sense – you can’t do your best work in scho...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sabotage of the Mind

Last week we talked about wrangling our chaotic brain who we often let run rampant through our lives like a spoiled, screaming toddler, and we’re going to revisit that a bit today. When we let our brains run the show without adult supervision (us being conscious of what it’s saying and controlling the narrative), we typically end up with a mangled sense of self: we imagine small problems or incidents to be life-changing encounters, we see ourselves as less-than, and/or we feel like we’re always on the losing team in life. This is no way to live – and this is a hard way to live! Letting your child-brain control your story is a miserable, chaotic life and letting it happen knowingly is definitely self-sabotage. Why would we do this – what sense does it make to believe these lies that only make you feel badly about yourself and your situation? Sometimes we just aren’t aware that our brain is telling stories, and in that case the only remedy is to start listening and pay attention ...
Post a Comment
Read more