Most professors are happy to write reference/recommendation letters for students.  It is part of our job.  And we have a rational self-interest in helping our students achieve success in their future endeavors:  your success as a Carthage alum raises the prestige of Carthage and makes it easier for us to help our future students get good jobs or get into top graduate schools.  

Please read and follow these guidelines as much as possible when requesting recommendation letters.

• Ask professors who are most familiar with your best work.  If you earned less than a "B+" in my course, you will get a stronger letter from a different professor who is more familiar with your strengths. 

• Allow at least two weeks for the professor to write your letter; three would be better.  Professors are busy, just like you.  And your professor will be able to write a better letter for you if he or she is not rushed.  Giving the professor less than two weeks' notice tells him or her that you do not respect the value of his or her time. 

• Complimenting the professor's teaching when asking for a recommendation risks the appearance of being disingenuous.   Professors do not expect or require compliments, and, like most people, find them meaningful when they are given without expectation of anything in return. 

• Provide the following items, which will make it easier for your professor to write a stronger recommendation:   a copy of your transcript (an unofficial copy is fine); your current resume; and stamped, addressed envelopes if the professor will need to mail the letters somewhere.  Also, if it's been a while since you took a class with the professor, it is often helpful to provide him/her with any papers or tests you took in the course, with his or her grade & written comments, so he/she can more easily remember the quality of work you did in the course. 

• It will also help if you can provide some information about the school, scholarship, or job for which you are applying, including the selection criteria, if known.  This helps the professor try to make a case that you are a particularly good fit for the program/job/etc to which you are applying.  In most cases, you can print out this info from a website, or even just give the appropriate web address to the professor. 

• Give your professor clear instructions on what he or she should do with the letter:  should it be mailed directly to the school?  If so, provide a stamped, addressed envelope.  Should it be returned to you?  If so, is the professor supposed to place it in a sealed envelope and sign over the seal?   

• All graduate schools and many scholarship and job applications give the candidate the option to waive the right to see the recommendation letter.  Please do so.  The person reading the recommendation letter will believe that the letter is more candid if the applicant has waved the right to access the letter.  This benefits you!  Also, I am more comfortable heaping praise on a student when I know the student won't see the letter; most professors feel the same way about this.  If you are uncomfortable waiving this right because you're not sure that the professor will write a strong recommendation, then you should ask a different professor.

• After you find out whether your application was successful, inform the people who wrote recommendations on your behalf.  They spent their valuable time writing thoughtful letters for you and deserve to know the outcome.