By Alice Lu
Congratulations to our seniors who have applied for graduate programs abroad! They have finally taken TOEFL, GRE, GRE subject tests, or GMAT exams, written a statement of purpose, and asked professors for recommendation letters. But from time to time, we hear horrifying stories of how professors do not agree to write recommendation letters. We see seniors wail and beg on their knees vainly. Some even missed their admission deadlines because of “one little letter.” Don’t blame our professors yet. They have their reasons, and they hope students learn the proper way to ask for a recommendation letter. Professors may refuse to write recommendation letters under certain circumstances. My friend Jenny is a top student in the department and had performed diligently in Prof. X’s huge literature class. (Both names have been altered.) Last year when she asked Prof. X to write a recommendation letter for an exchange program, she was rejected. Prof. X’s reason was that he didn’t know her work well enough. All he knew about Jenny was that she wrote an excellent term paper for him. This catastrophe brought tears and despair into Jenny’s eyes. She has never been rejected by anyone in her life. But Prof. X meant no harm. It really meant, “I’d love to write for you, but I believe other teachers who know you better can write an even better recommendation.” Other professors may not consent to write when students ask for an urgent letter. Many students leave recommendation requests until the last minute, when the deadline is only two weeks away. But just imagine, most universities’ admission deadlines occur during the holiday season, and if five students ask the same professor, and each of the students applies to ten universities, how much time would the professor need to spend? Definitely more than two weeks. A proper request for recommendation letters is very simple. First, look for the right professor four to six weeks before the deadline. It’s more important to find a teacher who knows you well than someone famous. So ask a teacher from a small class first rather than a teacher of a huge lecture class. After the professor has consented, provide the professor with a list of specific information. The information should answer the following questions: What was the course you’ve taken with the professor and what was your grade? What was your academic achievement in the class? Did you write any paper in the class, on what topic? In additional to these questions, add anything you would like the professor to mention in the letter, such as your personality, extracurricular activities, or part time jobs that are related to your future study. When this is done, give the professor a copy of your statement of purpose, transcript (highlight the course and grade you had with the professor), and a list of schools to which you are applying. Don’t forget to attach an envelope with stamps if the professor needs to mail the letter directly to the university. And last of all; wait patiently for the letter. Most professors will be willing to write recommendation letters if students ask them. So don’t be afraid to ask. But to play it safe, ask the professors as early as possible. And to be decent and considerate, provide information for the professors to write about. After all, our professors can’t remember every detail, and they do spend a lot of time writing good recommendation letters. So the least we can do is make their job easier to show our appreciation. #studentlife a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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