Want a Recommendation?
I'm glad to write one. Here's where to start, and how we get it done well and on time.
If you're asking, you should likely have earned an A in my class. I can write something for a B, but it reads differently, and you should know that going in. If you're not sure where you landed, ask me before you start the rest of this.
Write It Yourself First
In a shared Google document, draft the recommendation as if you were me. Then, in that same document, paste your resume below it. Then, below that, add a bullet list of anything else I should weigh - projects, context, the thing you're proud of that never showed up in a grade, anything interesting or unique about you that the resume and the letter don't already capture. Share the document with edit access, not comment access.
Your draft is raw material, not the finished letter. I revise it, I cut what I can't honestly say, and I sign only what I believe. Writing it yourself speeds me up; it doesn't put words in my mouth.
Send Me the Doc, Plus What I Can't Guess
Email me the link, and include, without me having to ask:
- Exactly what you're applying for - the specific program, scholarship, job, or transfer, not the category. This belongs in the letter itself, so I need it before I can write it.
- Every deadline, as the date the recipient needs it in hand
- Your GPA
- Submission mechanics: whether a portal emails me a link, whether someone wants a PDF, whether a form demands a signature
Then Keep Bugging Me
Once you've sent it, following up is your job, not mine. Harass me mercilessly. Start about two weeks out and keep reminding me - by text and by email - until you can see the letter has landed. I'd much rather field five nudges than miss your deadline, and this is the one context in which I will never find you annoying.
Get My Name Right
It's remarkably common for people to write to me and misspell my own name in the process - capitalizing "Von" like a first name, or turning "Briesen" into "Brieson." It doesn't speak well of an application that's asking me to vouch for someone's attention to detail. My surname is von Briesen - two words, lowercase v - and I wrote a whole page about why. Read it, get it right, and then apply the same standard to the rest of your request.