HOW TO GET GREAT RECOMMENDATIONS

OK, maybe this is false advertising – I can’t guarantee that following these guidelines will ensure that you get great recommendations.  The guidelines will, however, help you to get the best recommendations that you can get.  Some of these tips may seem obvious, but in my experience, students often lessen their chances of getting strong recommendations by making simple mistakes that they should have been able to avoid.

• Ask for recommendations from professors who know your work well.  If possible, get your recommendations from professors who have had you in more than one class and who have seen multiple examples of different kinds of work from you.  Recommendations that can address your writing and/or analytical skills can be particularly helpful, so you may want to pick recommenders who have read papers you have written.
• It may seem painfully obvious, but get your recommendations from professors who think that you are a good student.  Don’t go to a professor who consistently gives you B-s unless you have reason to believe that she or he will nonetheless be able to say positive things about you as a student.  We have an obligation to write honest letters of recommendation, so be sure to select a recommender who has a good opinion of you and your abilities.
• Don’t wait until the last minute to ask for a recommendation.  If you’re applying to law or grad school, you probably know by the middle of the fall quarter that you will need letters of recommendation.  Professors don’t like having to write letters with only a week’s notice and may not have the time to write as strong a letter as they could with more time.
• Be respectful when you ask for a letter.  This means that you should not assume that the professor will automatically write the letter for you.  As mentioned above, this also means that you should give the professor enough time (usually two to three weeks) to write a good letter.  Refer to the professor by his or her formal title (Professor or Dr. X) when you request a letter.
• Provide the professor with all of the materials that she or he will need to write the letter.  If you’re applying for a scholarship or fellowship, include a description of the program.  This helps us to tailor your letter.  Be sure to include any necessary waiver forms, and to sign these forms.  You should also include a copy of your resume with your request, since that information enables us to say something about your background and activities.  If you have not had much contact with your recommender for a few terms, ask if you should provide her or him with any of your materials from the course(s) you took with him or her.
• Give the professor enough stamped and addressed envelopes to send out all of your letters, or make arrangements to pick them up from the professor.  Some of us write separate recommendations for dozens of students applying to law and graduate schools in the early winter; we don’t have the time to print out five or six letters for you and also to address and stamp five or six different envelopes.
• If you are concerned that a recommendation may be late, most of us will not mind a polite inquiry.  Particularly during the law/grad school application crunch, it is possible for a request to get lost in the shuffle.  Do not, however, message and/or call daily to follow up on a recommendation that is a few days late.  Most programs are much stricter about having formal applications on time than about having recommendations on time.
• Don’t be embarrassed or shy about asking for letters of recommendation.  Every faculty member in the department has had to ask for letters of recommendation and knows what it is like to be on your side of the process.  We view it as part of our job to help our best students move on in their career or academic goals.  The worst thing that can happen is that someone may not be willing to write for you.
• If you will be taking time off between graduation and enrollment in graduate or law school, contact potential recommenders before you leave UAlbany.  Many of us find it easier to write a preliminary letter while our memories of your performance are still fresh in our minds than to try to reconstruct our impressions of you two or three years down the road.  Most of us also enjoy hearing from former students, so don’t hesitate to get in touch and let us know what you’re up to after you graduate.
• Do let your recommenders know what happens after you have made your decision.  Most of us like to know what you’ll be doing after graduation, but may forget to ask you as things get busy at the end of spring semester.