Dude… who are you?!
It’s not enough that you got an A out of the class. Are you memorable? Can the professor truly say something about your character and potential based off of a one-to-one interaction? If not, then think again about whether this person should write a letter of recommendation for you.
What you’re most likely to get is bland, boring, and not much to say besides, well, this student did well in my class. Is this recommendation doing any actual recommending for you? Probably not.
Are graduate admissions committees likely to be underwhelmed and unimpressed? You betcha!
If you’ve been out in the Real World for awhile, you should especially be careful in requesting letters of recommendation from professors who really know you. Chances are that you will be competing in a pool with others who do have strong letters of recommendation that speak to their character, ambition, and career goals.
Get The Letter You Deserve!
And because I LOVE telling stories… I was in the final stages of working on my doctoral dissertation, I had actually moved back across the country to Florida and was completely out of campus community. One of my former students from several years earlier emailed me asking for a letter of recommendation. As soon as I saw her name in my email inbox I knew exactly who she was. How could I NOT remember her?
She was a very bright, conscientious student. My first impression of her came before I officially met her. Her flight was delayed on her way back to campus after Winter break and she emailed to let me know that she would be absent for the first class of the semester. This action stood out because many students wouldn’t have had the courtesy to explain their absence up front.
If I were collecting participation points, she would have earned an A. She actually came to visit during scheduled office hours. She talked with me outside of class. She asked for specific feedback on how to improve her work. She was one of the top students in her class. And the reason why I was able to remember exactly who she was two years later is because she made herself highly visible and memorable.
You would think that professors would always agree to write letters of recommendation if you did well in their class, but that’s not the case. Some will tell you flat-out NO. Not because they’re being a jackass, but because they don’t know you very well and wouldn’t be able to write a great letter for you. Trust me – no one wants a letter of recommendation template that reads like it could have been written about anyone.
Admissions committees want to see specifics
They want to know about you. They want to read anecdotes and specific examples about the student they’re considering admitting to their program. When it comes to getting into grad school, don’t be that kid who sits in the back of the class, rarely speaks up but does great on exams and papers.
Your professors might not say it to your face, but with teaching so many students semester in and semester out, when you send that email or come to their office requesting a letter of recommendation, they very well could be scratching their heads, wondering who the heck are you.
Oh… and what happened to that former student of mine? I was able to write her an excellent letter of recommendation and she is studying at New York University right now.
