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How to request a recommendation from someone who has previously written one for you?

As a college student, I've had several professors write me recommendations and agree to be my references. In the future, when I'm applying to something new and need a recommendation or reference, how do I go about asking them again? Should it be expected that they will accept, or would it vary depending on their current situation? Would it be appropriate to ask to catch up over coffee and make the request at the end? #professor #recommendation #referrals

professor recommendation referrals
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Toshiro K.’s Answer

Dear Jerry,


As a former small college professor, I have a few thoughts.



  • As a general rule, writing recommendation letters is part of the professor's job, if they think they can write a good one for you. That means they know who you are and can acknowledge you were a good student and/or did something remarkable.

  • The way one goes about it usually depends on the personality and schedule of the professor. Some professors' have such a busy schedule, everything goes through their administrative assistant. In such a case, please contact the assistant. Others would be happy to get an email from you asking for a recommendation letter. Generally, catching up over coffee is not necessary.

  • Usually, if a professor wrote one for you before, they are likely to send out another copy, just changing the recipients' address.

  • If a professor knows you, then it's usually a pretty easy process. Still, you may need to remind them of who you were, especially if some time has passed. Remember, that professors see hundreds of students a year and it is hard to keep track of all those students.

  • If you were a student in a large class who did well, you may need to explain in your email how you did in the class. If there were any special projects you did in the class or outside for this professor, it may be worthwhile gently reminding them of the project. You may also need to remind them of what you got in the class. (See above about how professors see many students in a year.) If it were that you did well in the class, it may be hard for the professor to write a recommendation letter beyond stating what you got in the class.

  • If you happen to have the letter the professor wrote, that's great. Please make sure to include it in your request. That will make things easier, for sure. The goal here is to make it easy for the professor. In some sense, they are doing a favor and in another sense they have an obligation.

  • This is stating the obvious, but please make sure to write a well-written request for a recommendation letter well in advance of any due date. It drives professors nuts when they get emails like "Hey Prof. X, I need a rec letter by tomorrow for job Y. I was in your Z class in 2001." :-) I am being facetious here, but I trust you get the gist.


I hope this helps. Best wishes!
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much, Mr. Ohsumi! Your response was very well thought out and resonated with my understanding of people, especially those as busy as professors. Your points resonate with me so much, in fact, that I would dare call them commonsensical were it not for the fact that I had to mentally exclaim "right!" after every sentence. Nevertheless, this serves as a great reminder or guideline for any student looking to request a recommendation. Thank you once again. Jerry
Thank you comment icon You're welcome, Jerry. Toshiro K. Ohsumi
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