Asking professor for a letter of recommendation. Help needed

[Dsing002]

Greetings,


I don't have much work experience, but the B-school I am applying to says it is okay to have a professor write a letter of recommendation instead of an employer. Does anyone have any good links, some examples, or just some advice on ways to ask for recommendation letters?

In mind, I have a professor who told me two years ago that I can use him as a reference any time. He also helped out two of my friends at that time who were given recommendation for B-school by him, but again that was two years ago. I haven't spoken to him since then and I really want to to approach him nicely, politely, and carefully. I really need to know in which ways I could ask him. I can't see him in person because I'm in New York and he's in California so I have to send him an e-mail first before anything else.

My B-school application deadline is May 15th so I have to ask him soon.

Your guys' insight would be great. Thank you!

[mili]

Hi there,

So sorry for the delayed response! Hopefully this note reaches you in time.

If you have a professor who said he would recommend you, and you feel he would be best positioned to write a solid recommendation for you, that can work if needed. Generally business schools do prefer a work/professional reference as opposed to academic, but if your schoolwork was recent and you have fewer years of work experience you can use the academic option. Overall you want to choose the person who you feel can write the best recommendation about you and your strengths and experiences, which will support the key points you are expressing in your application about who you are, what your goals are, and how an MBA will help you reach those goals.

In terms of approaching the professor, it is generally acceptable to send an email explaining your request, reminding him of key interactions or strengths or projects etc from that point in your life, and also briefly illustrating your goals and why you are applying to the MBA now. You will want to provide full details and info on what the recommender is being asked to do. Many applications now will send the recommendation form online when you put in the person’s email address, but be sure you’ve approached the person first. It is a good idea to send over your resume as well to the professor. However one concern at this point is time frame"”you could be asking a lot to try to get a recommendation in such a short turn-around time. In this instance you might want to start with or follow your email up with a phone call and be up front about the deadline and ask if it is possible that he can complete the task in the given time frame.
Good luck with the application!

Best,
Mili




Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
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