How to Write an Email for a Professor’s Recommendation Letter (in English)

Do you need a letter of recommendation from a professor/lecturer to apply for a scholarship, to apply for graduate schools or to apply for a job? If possible, it’s best to ask directly. That way, you’ll be able to explain why you need a cover letter and suggest what you’d like them to include in the body of the letter. ^{[1] X Research Resources} However, if you are drafting a proposal email in English, follow these steps to be polite, effective, and get you a good recommendation possible.

Table of Contents

Compose your email

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Prepare email requests early. Email the professor at least 5-6 weeks before the date you need the recommendation letter. Even the sooner the better, if you have time. ^{[2] X Research Source} Don’t wait until the water reaches your feet to jump. Professors are always busy and you probably don’t want them to rush to write you a letter of recommendation, you should give them time to draft.

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Choose a suitable person. ^{[3] X Research Sources} Before choosing a professor to apply for a recommendation, ask yourself:

Does this person know my name?
Have I talked to this teacher outside of school hours?
Did I get a ‘B’ or higher in their class?
Did I take more than one class with that instructor?

You need to choose someone who can write a letter that includes your personal characteristics or achievements rather than “vague generalities”. The more “yes” answers to the above questions, the better your choice will be. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Address appropriately in the letter. Even if this is an email, you still want it to look decent. If you and your teacher are close (specifically, the professor asks you to call them by their first name, and you always do) start the letter with that person’s first name. If not, use an appropriate title. Let’s say we are writing a letter to Dr. Jones – the lecturer in Archeology. Dr. Jones isn’t close enough to you for you to call him by his first name, so you’ll start your letter with, “Dear Dr. Jones,” followed by a comma or colon.

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Set the subject as “Recommendation for [your name]”. You should always add a subject to an email. This helps teachers know exactly what the email is about and easier to find later.

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Start the first paragraph by stating your wish. “I am writing this letter because I want to ask you to help me write a letter of recommendation.” Don’t make them guess, in the next section present the information:

Your name
Course
Department
One or more classes you took with this professor, and the time and grades you got
Why you need a cover letter (what are you applying for)
When is the deadline to send the letter?

READ More: Ludwig van Beethoven

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Briefly describe your relationship with the teacher. In the next paragraph, point out why you specifically turned to them. Talk a little bit about yourself and why you’re interested in a scholarship, graduate program or job for which you need a referral. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Do not give pragmatic reasons like “I want to work here because they offer the highest salary” or “I want to attend this school because their certificate will be very valuable on the application”.
Be professional and say something like, “I want to apply to this museum because I’m super interested in their tribal artefacts department.”
Does your professor have any special affiliation with this company or workplace? Or if it is a school, is he/she an alumnus? If that’s the case then don’t forget to mention that. “I know that among the artifacts on display are some that you personally collected during your trip to the Amazon region. I really hope that I get accepted into the artifact department to have the opportunity to interact with a collection. Such a complete set.”
If your choice was partly influenced by some experience with the professor, say: “I never intended to go into research until I took an archeology class on the Americas. That gave me the impetus to do a program in the summer and now I’m really looking forward to the time when I can do advanced postgraduate research.” However, you should not impose this association if it is not true.

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Use the third paragraph as an opportunity to imply what you want the professor to say about you. You should emphasize in every sentence with the teacher important details. ^{[6] X Research Source} You probably want your letter of recommendation to include information about you that the teacher may not have noticed. There are a few subtle ways to be tactful:

“I believe that through our conversation as well as through my attitude to study in class, you also see my passion in the field of archeology. I will finish my degree in Archeology in June. this year. I was an apprentice at the museum under Dr. Marcus Brody, I think you know him. I also have general experience in classifying items through the internship.”
“The references that I attached all show my academic ability, but you are the only one who can see how I tried in my graduation thesis and also the difficulties that I have encountered. If possible, I would like you to talk about how I overcome stress and deal with failure, because those are the qualities the selection committee wants to see.”

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Give details. Where will letters of recommendation be sent? When do you need it? Is there a form that you need to fill out? ^{[7] X Research Resources} If there is anything they need, such as recommendation forms, resumes and admissions theses, etc., attach them in the email. You need to provide specific and clear information.

You should emphasize if the teacher needs to prepare a handwritten copy or notice the email. Many schools and programs today use electronic referral platforms, so remind your professor to wait for an email from the program of your choice about the information they need.
It’s a good idea to put together your resume, the essays you wrote on the entrance exam (if you’re applying for an intensive graduate program), and details on how to submit it. cover letter (including all contact information) with your email. Send them all as attachments. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Finally, close the letter by letting the professor know how you will track progress. “This week, I will put in your mailbox a stamped and pre-addressed envelope. I will also send you a reminder email a week before the recommendation letter is due. Thank you very much. ” or “I need a letter of recommendation sent by August 3. If I can help, please let me know, I’m always happy to come to your office to receive your letter any time”.

Create all favorable conditions for teachers. You are asking the professor to put their work aside and write a letter to you (he/she is not getting paid for doing that). So don’t force them to mail the letter and pay the postage on your behalf. You want to MINIMUM bothering others, so do what you can (and should) do instead of asking your teacher. That way, you can also rest assured that the message has been delivered.
If your teacher offers to help you, let them do it. If this professor often forgets about small things like attaching files to emails or grading tests, say that you need (or want to) send your own letters of recommendation along with other papers or documents. That way, you’ll be sure to have the letter in hand.

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Thank you whether the teacher wrote to you or not. “Thank you for giving me your time and consideration. Also, I would like to thank you for the time I spent studying under your guidance. I was really absorbed in the Archeology class. 101 and don’t know how to describe his passion for the class.” ^{[9] X Research Source}

If the instructor is really special, you can give more praise. “I will bring what I have learned to work. Your guidance has really made a positive impact on my life and I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

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Follow through on what was promised, such as sending the necessary documents and email reminders. Call the professor if you don’t hear back in a week or two at most. If you feel the need, you should call, don’t default to anything. First, see if the instructor has received your email. If not, then you need to be prepared to ask for help directly.

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Responsible for side-checking the scholarship program, graduate school or prospective employer by the deadline. You must make sure that the letter of recommendation has been received. If not, you need to send a brief, polite email to remind the instructor and offer to pay for express delivery.

Try to be as polite as possible. Professors are inherently busy, so you can’t assert negatively. You should say: “Dear Dr. Jones. I’m told they haven’t received your letter of recommendation yet. The deadline is approaching, so if there’s no inconvenience, I’d like to pay for the translation. express courier service”.

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Thank you again teacher. Send a thank you note to the professor after you receive the recommendation. As soon as you have the letter of recommendation in hand, you should send the lecturer a handwritten thank you letter by mail (not email). Not only is this a polite thing to do, it can also benefit you in the future. Maybe you need another letter at another time, or if you are working in the same field, your teacher may be able to help you sometime. If the letter does its job well and you get the position you want, call the professor to tell them the good news!

Advice

Attach your resume or résumé to the email and mention in the letter that you have included references.
Always read a message before sending it. Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. If you are not very confident, you can ask someone to review it for you.
Avoid being pushy by sending a reminder email a week or two before the due date and telling the professor that the deadline is approaching.
If you need a cover letter in a bit of a hurry, write a short email asking if the professor has time to help you and explain the situation. If you receive a positive response, you can write a second email with more details.
Always be grateful to those who have helped you and be ready to return it. For example, if you get a job in a museum and are running a summer internship for students, you should call Dr. Jones so he can tell his students about the internship.
Use a black ink or ballpoint pen to fill out the sections of the form that you want the instructor to use (if applicable).
While this article will guide you through how to get a cover letter, what you really need is a perfect cover letter about you. Read how to get a great cover letter.
If possible, ask your professor to recommend you directly. This will generally be more personalized and polite. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Warning

Some instructors may find it annoying to receive an email asking for a letter of recommendation. Stop by the teacher’s office, make an appointment, or call them to show that you’re willing to put in more time and effort than just writing an email.
Remember that this is arbitrary. The professors had to dedicate a lot to build their reputation. Every time they write a letter of recommendation, they are putting their credibility in it. In general, teachers only write letters of recommendation to students they really trust.
Never list references without their consent. This is obvious, even though you have worked with these people a lot and are confident that they will write you letters of recommendation.
DO NOT ask to read a copy of the letter before sending it. That is not allowed, because the letter of recommendation is the teacher’s honest assessment without having to explain to his students. If you’re worried that your teacher won’t have anything really good to say, you should ask if he or she has the impressions and information needed to write a letter of recommendation that would benefit you.
If a professor gives you a hint (such as sending you an email before completing a letter of recommendation) that his or her recommendation won’t be as promising as you’d hoped, thank them for their help. consider and say you have found another certifier.

Steps

Compose your email

Advice

Warning

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