Monday, 10 August 2009
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Quick Tip: Letters of Recommendation
I know a lot of you out there are getting towards the end of summer jobs/internships or summer classes. If you are planning on applying to college or a graduate school later on down the road, this is a fantastic opportunity to obtain a letter of recommendation from your supervisor or teacher. Ideally, letters of recommendations should come from someone you worked with closely because they are able to give a better account on your behalf.
Something I ran into when applying for law school was the need for a variety of letters of recommendations. I needed several letters of recommendations from different areas in my life: academics, extracurriculars and work. I realized too late that my ideal options were individuals I had worked with in previous years, and I ran the risk of them not remembering me clearly anymore. It all worked out in the end, but you can avoid this all together by having them write your letters while you're still fresh in their minds.
Most recommenders will prefer that you not read their letter, so just have them give it to you in a sealed envelope with their signature across the seal. Better yet, many schools actually maintain banks specifically for letters of recommendation. Mine was run by the school's career center. Recommenders themselves could submit the letters to the bank where they'd be safe until you needed them during application time. This is especially useful if, say, you become very close with a professor whose class you take sophomore year. You can have the letter written then, and you wouldn't have to worry that they'll have forgotten you when the end of senior year rolls around.
Have you ever had letters of recommendation written ahead of time? Or have you ever experienced the downside of trying to get a recommendation too late?
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About the Author
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- From: Cara
- Name: Cara
- About Me: I'm a 24 yr old back in the Midwest for law school. I've survived the first semester as a law student after working as a paralegal for two years. Let's see how the rest of the time goes!
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Comments (5)
really good tips! i collected 2 letters of recs from professors right before i graduated last year, as i wanted to avoid the problem u mentioned of them forgetting me after a few years out. i'm probably going to apply to law school in a year or so.
this is good advice. but what if the person you ask for a recommendation wants to know what it's for and you're just getting it in case you need it in the future? what do you tell them? also, i got two recommendation letters from teachers my senior year but they sent them in to schools and scholarships without any correspondence from me. if i want another copy of that recommendation how do i get it/how should i ask for it?
this is good advice. but what if the person you ask for a recommendation wants to know what it's for and you're just getting it in case you need it in the future? what do you tell them? also, i got two recommendation letters from teachers my senior year but they sent them in to schools and scholarships without any correspondence from me. if i want another copy of that recommendation how do i get it/how should i ask for it?
@rough_souls@xanga - Depending on how long ago you were a senior, your teacher may still have the letter. I know my teachers would type it up the very first time you asked, save it, and then just tweak it and reprint it each time you needed another.
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