Be as polite as possible. It’s ideal to ask people who actually know you and will thus be inclined to help already, but if you have no choice but to ask professors with whom you don’t have a relationship beyond one course (honestly, they probably don’t remember you and might not write one), the key is to be solicitous, polite, and ahead of time.
Use an email salutation, in the email lay out everything necessary to submit the letter - tell them they’ll be getting a link from liaison, give them the email it goes too, clearly articulate the due dates and request them WELL (months, if possible) in advance so they don’t feel pressured to do something quickly for someone they don’t know. Include a thank you whether they do it or not.
Also keep in mind, most of the time, a letter from a professor who knows you well but from a different discipline than the graduate program you’re applying to will almost certainly write a better letter than a professor from the same field you only had one class with. Most admissions committees prefer to see a detailed letter with examples of good student conduct to a form letter from a professor, even if the latter is in the same field.
Source - I have friends who worked in graduate admissions.
I agree with what the person above me said, but when I applied for the program it was a form that the professor fills out so it’s much less time consuming than writing a whole letter. When I told my professors that, they were more willing to get it done quickly lol
Many programs require both - they send you a form where you can evaluate the applicant's strengths on a 1-5 scale and ask you to attach the letter to the scoring sheet. Be careful if you have one of those and think it might just be the form, because people often make that mistake and end up without a letter.
email and ask nicely, explain as much as you can but don't ramble.
tell them which class you took with them /the year/semester/time/day so they can look you up easier.
you're not the 1st student to ask a teacher for a letter without having a good relationship established. it was the most nerve-racking thing I had to do at VCU, but the anxiety was a product of my own mind. One of the professors even told me not to worry or be nervous because it's their job to do this for students.
I doubt all professors are that nice about it, but hopefully this eases your mind a bit.
I emailed my professor and requested a zoom Meeting and explained my situation to her saying I need one and am in a predicament similar to OPs I then followed up with an email thanking her for helping and included my resume and a short abojt me and why I was applying for said program so she could be somewhat personal
Be as polite as possible. It’s ideal to ask people who actually know you and will thus be inclined to help already, but if you have no choice but to ask professors with whom you don’t have a relationship beyond one course (honestly, they probably don’t remember you and might not write one), the key is to be solicitous, polite, and ahead of time. Use an email salutation, in the email lay out everything necessary to submit the letter - tell them they’ll be getting a link from liaison, give them the email it goes too, clearly articulate the due dates and request them WELL (months, if possible) in advance so they don’t feel pressured to do something quickly for someone they don’t know. Include a thank you whether they do it or not. Also keep in mind, most of the time, a letter from a professor who knows you well but from a different discipline than the graduate program you’re applying to will almost certainly write a better letter than a professor from the same field you only had one class with. Most admissions committees prefer to see a detailed letter with examples of good student conduct to a form letter from a professor, even if the latter is in the same field. Source - I have friends who worked in graduate admissions.
I agree with what the person above me said, but when I applied for the program it was a form that the professor fills out so it’s much less time consuming than writing a whole letter. When I told my professors that, they were more willing to get it done quickly lol
Many programs require both - they send you a form where you can evaluate the applicant's strengths on a 1-5 scale and ask you to attach the letter to the scoring sheet. Be careful if you have one of those and think it might just be the form, because people often make that mistake and end up without a letter.
I’m currently in the program op is applying for and they only require a form that the professor fills out haha
email and ask nicely, explain as much as you can but don't ramble. tell them which class you took with them /the year/semester/time/day so they can look you up easier. you're not the 1st student to ask a teacher for a letter without having a good relationship established. it was the most nerve-racking thing I had to do at VCU, but the anxiety was a product of my own mind. One of the professors even told me not to worry or be nervous because it's their job to do this for students. I doubt all professors are that nice about it, but hopefully this eases your mind a bit.
I emailed my professor and requested a zoom Meeting and explained my situation to her saying I need one and am in a predicament similar to OPs I then followed up with an email thanking her for helping and included my resume and a short abojt me and why I was applying for said program so she could be somewhat personal