{"id":3657,"date":"2016-03-14t14:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-03-14t14:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/?p=3657"},"modified":"2016-03-14t14:00:29","modified_gmt":"2016-03-14t14:00:29","slug":"how-not-to-ask-for-a-letter-of-recommendation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/blog\/how-not-to-ask-for-a-letter-of-recommendation\/","title":{"rendered":"how not to ask for a letter of recommendation"},"content":{"rendered":"

this article originally appeared on the accepted admissions blog<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

your recommenders are doing you a favor, so the least you can do is make their job easier by following proper lor etiquette. breaking these important letter of rec rules may result in your recommenders deciding not to dish out the most favorable review. stay on their good side, help them stay organized, and most importantly, make sure you do not commit any of these lor mistakes:<\/p>\n

1. do not give them short notice.<\/h3>\n

your recommenders have full-time jobs, lives, and potentially other recommendations to write. if you ask for their recommendation too close to the deadline, you may end up without a recommendation. <\/p>\n

2. do not give them an incomplete package of materials.<\/h3>\n

there are a number of must-include documents that you need to submit to your recommender if you want the greatest chance of a) receiving a good recommendation and b) receiving a good recommendation submitted on time. these include: <\/p>\n

\u2022 a copy of your resume<\/a>\/cv
\n\u2022 information about the school\/program you\u2019re applying to
\n\u2022 a letter detailing your interests and goals related to the degree you\u2019re pursuing
\n\u2022 a clear link with\u00a0instructions on what they need to do<\/a>\/include in their recommendation letter
\n\u2022 a clear deadline
\n\u2022 an addressed and stamped envelope to the school (if that\u2019s what\u2019s required, though most schools will want an online submission)<\/p>\n

3. do not give them attitude.<\/h3>\n

writing these letters takes time \u2013 an irreplaceable, valuable commodity. be polite and gracious when asking for a recommendation. <\/p>\n

provide all of the above materials in an organized, labeled fashion so that your recommenders can easily review what you\u2019ve given them and then get started writing, without needing to sort through a jumble of messy papers or unclear links or instructions. the better you present yourself and your materials, the easier you\u2019ll make their job, the more impressed with you they\u2019ll be, and \u2013 if all goes well \u2013 the better your recommendation will turn out. <\/p>\n

it\u2019s also a good idea \u2013 not to mention, simple good manners \u2013 to send your recommender a thank you note.<\/p>\n

we have tips for writers of letters of recommendation in each category (med<\/a>, law<\/a>, grad<\/a>, mba<\/a>, and college<\/a>). it may be smart to send one of those links to your recommenders to provide more guidance and inspiration for their writing.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

about linda abraham:<\/p>\n

\"catherineaccepted.com<\/a> has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top universities since 1994 \u2013 they know what works and what doesn\u2019t, so follow linda abraham on google+<\/a> and contact accepted<\/a> to get started or visit accepted.com<\/a> for all your admissions consulting<\/a> needs today!
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
photo attributions:<\/p>\n

1 – photo at top courtesy of wikimedia commons user michael<\/a> under the creative commons 2.0<\/a> license.<\/i><\/h6>\n

 
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

check out these tips for requesting letters of recommendation so you can avoid common missteps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":3659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[75,398,280,399],"ppma_author":[491],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nhow not to ask for a letter of recommendation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"the team from accepted.com provides advice on the do's and don't's of letter of recommendation etiquette.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/blog\/how-not-to-ask-for-a-letter-of-recommendation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"how not to ask for a letter of recommendation\" 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