Before you ask your professors to write letters of recommendation for you, please follow these steps:

Contact your professors to ask them if they are willing to do it well in advance of your deadline for submitting the letters. Do it at least 4-5 weeks ahead of that.

Provide specific information, which would make it possible for them to consider writing these letters. Include:

• Your complete name (as listed in the IUP Directory), current postal and email address.
  
  
• Date letter of recommendation is due.
  
  
• To whom the letter should be sent to – name, title and address.
• Why you need this letter.
  
  
• Specification of this position – needed knowledge, skills, experience.
  
  
• List all classes you have taken from this professor – specify course numbers, titles, semester, year, brief descriptions of projects you developed, how they might relate to your current application, final grade.
  
  
• List other kinds of work you may have done with this professor – thesis, portfolio, internship, independent study, etc.
  
  
• Your current status – semester, year, planned or actual date of graduation, current job.
  
  
• Do NOT include here information that this professor is not a witness of – other activities and accomplishments from your vita, pre- or post-IUP activities, work done for other professors, work done outside of the program.
  
  
• Do NOT assume that because you have asked, your professors will agree to do it. Ask politely for a response to your request. Allow for a week for that. If the answer is yes, write a brief “thank you” note. If the answer is no, contact the next person on your list.

Sample Request for Letter of Recommendation

Dear Prof. Higgins,

I’m writing to ask you to write me a letter of recommendation. Below, I have listed the information that might be useful to you should you agree to do it.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

If needed, I’d be glad to provide further information. I’d appreciate it if you could let me know about your decision by the end of next week.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Regards,

Eliza Doolittle

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