letters of recommendation

[joe hx]

When I'm looking up scholarships for school, they all need letters of recommendation. I'm not buddies with any of my professors, so I don't know the proper way or etiquette for getting such letters. I have a 3.117 GPA and over fifty credit hours. I tend to get A's in classes that are in my major (computer science).

Thanks!

[Megg]

All you can do is ask. Approach the professors in whose classes you have done well, and make sure you do it during their posted office hours. Don't talk to them during or directly after class, unless setting up an appointment to meet them. If you show planning, and preparation, it should be no problem. Just go in, explain what you need, and possibly have some of the highlights of these prof's classes ready to talk about, just so they remember you. The only other thing I can think of is that people are busy - make sure you don't procrastinate, give them at least a couple of weeks to get back to you. Don't get discouraged if someone is too busy to write you a letter, or doesn't feel comfortable - just try again! Good luck!

[Jester]

In addition to professors, feel free to ask your advisor, if you have one. Just a thought.

[AdminAssistant]

I second the notion of asking them in person during posted office hours. However, if you need to set an appointment, e-mail is the best way to do it, not after class.

[Magpie]

Do any of the profs know you by name? That's your first bet for who to ask. Another good criterion is did you take more than one course with them, provided you did well in both of them. My final criterion was what kind of course. I don't know if this applies as much in CS, but I figured that a course where I did a design project was a much better recommendation to get than one where it was only academics (they've seen more about how I work, just because I can ace a test it doesn't mean I can necessarily do research).