I think most of us experience some combination of fear and dread when asking for letters of recommendation. David Robinson of Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, has some excellent advice on how to prepare to ask for a letter of recommendation as well as how to read the signs from your potential recommender. If you’re considering returning to school (or applying for a fellowship of some sort), you’ll find the advice helpful.
January 21st, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Funnily enough, that’s never been such a big deal for me since I make a point to try to cover my bases and gauge the impact I’ve made upon the people who would provide such commentary. My problem is that I try to micromanage that sort of response, which isn’t feasible and just ends up exhausting me in the process.
January 21st, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I thought the advice about filling in your name on the phone was helpful—at least I’ve been given forms from someone to recommend and they’ve been completely blank, which always is annoying.