How to Request for a Strong Academic LOR From Your Professors

As you prepare your study abroad, one crucial piece that plays a key role in strengthening your application is the Letter of Recommendation (LOR). Why are LORs so important? While the SOP and essays provide information about you from your perspective, and the Resume & Transcripts present your academic and professional record at face value, academic LORs offer an objective and unbiased assessment of your abilities, character and potential. It helps the admissions team understand how others see your readiness for the program. A well-written academic LOR can add weight to your application by highlighting your strengths beyond grades & test scores. Just to help you understand better, here are some quick differences between LORs and SOPs for university admissions.

Getting a strong LOR is about multiple things – from choosing the right professor, knowing when and how to approach them, to sharing the right information so as to make the process easier for them.

If you’re looking for an academic LOR, professors who have observed you first-hand, whether in the classroom, during paper presentations, projects, and other individual/team settings, including co-curricular activities, are the best resources. They can offer insight into your academic prowess, growth mindset and resilience, not just within the classroom but also beyond it. Here’s a practical guide to help you secure meaningful recommendations that truly support your goals.

What Makes a Strong Academic LOR? Before we jump into how to get a strong LOR, we must first understand what actually makes an LOR stand out.

1. A good academic LOR should show, not just tell. It should not just talk of your qualities and achievements, but also provide examples where you have actually shown those qualities. Hence, a strong LOR doesn’t just say, “She is a bright student” or “He has good leadership skills”.

   It shows those qualities through real-examples. For instance, if the recommender wants to highlight your academic prowess, they can talk about a seminar where you spoke on a topic that went beyond the textbook curriculum. They could mention how you took the initiative to do additional reading or research to deepen your understanding, which not only showcases subject mastery but also intellectual curiosity and self-motivation. Secondly, a specific instance when you had to take a crucial decision during a team project can highlight leadership skills under crisis. When such examples are given, they paint a better picture of your character than when just descriptive words are used.

   The recommender can also quantify your outcomes. For instance, “In my course on Data Structures, he consistently submitted top-quality assignments. In one group project, he implemented a custom algorithm that improved efficiency by 30%.”

   Having said this, it should, by now, be clear that a good recommendation cannot be built around a general template; this can do more harm than good. The recommender should genuinely believe in your competencies, and in your suitability for the program; only then would they be able to write convincingly.

2. A good academic LOR goes beyond your grades, and talks about how you approach learning, and navigate the challenges that may come along the way. This includes your consistency and perseverance despite hurdles, your efficient time management, and willingness to seek feedback & improve. Besides classroom performance, a great LOR can also include initiative shown in co-curricular settings such as organizing a departmental seminar, mentoring juniors, representing your college in inter-university events, or taking the lead in group activities or college clubs. These efforts matter because they reflect leadership, planning, collaboration, and your ability to engage with the academic community at a deeper level. Leading a college seminar, while managing regular coursework and tight academic deadlines, demonstrates not just initiative, but also your ability to handle pressure and solve problems in real time. All of this reveals your resilience amidst challenges.

   However, while talking of these out-of-class activities, the recommender must also mention how they know about your participation in those activities. They could have been the Teacher-In-Charge of the event, or they could have attended the program and seen your efforts first-hand.

3. An academic LOR becomes strong when it subtly reinforces your fit for the program you’re applying to. For this, the professor should ensure that their LOR reflects qualities, skills or interests that are relevant to that program, and to your future plans. For example, if you’re applying for a Master’s in Data Science, the LOR might highlight your analytical thinking, problem-solving in coding assignments, or curiosity in exploring data beyond class requirements. It could also mention your interest in applying data to solve real-world problems, supported by a specific project where you demonstrated this in action. As mentioned above, if you talk about such a project, it is important that the recommender has directly supervised/observed you in it.

   Similarly, for a business school application, a strong academic LOR might highlight your leadership in team settings, communication skills, strategic thinking, or decision-making under pressure.

4. An LOR sounds genuine only when it is personalized. The tone should be professional yet warm. The letter should convey enthusiasm about your potential and confidence in your abilities. In simpler words, it should be clear from the LOR that the recommender “likes you”, and has a “connection with you”. For eg, “I have worked closely with ABC during his final year project. Beyond his strong and commendable technical skills, what impresses me most is his eagerness to learn and his collaborative spirit – qualities that make him a joy to work with”. The phrase, “joy to work with” shows that the recommender has a positive relationship and personal connection with you, and that they like and value you.

   At the same time, a good LOR should also be honest. Although the primary purpose of an LOR is to show your positive side, it can also talk of a weakness that will anyways become evident somewhere else in your application – your transcripts, test scores, backlogs etc. In such cases, it might actually serve you well if the recommender acknowledges such a weakness and provides reasonable context, such as a health issue, personal setback or family emergency. However, it’s equally important that they reinforce that the weakness was temporary, and does not reflect your overall ability. A good way to do this is by showing how you bounced back. They can show this by pointing to your strong comeback in a subsequent course, or your performance in a project or research paper that followed.

Who Can Be The Right Recommender

Choosing the right recommender, and doing it well in time, are crucial steps in securing a strong LOR. In making your choice, be deliberate. Here’s what to keep in mind when selecting a recommender:

1. As mentioned somewhere above, pick someone who knows you really well, and has observed you first-hand. Since we’re focusing on academic recommendations, it should ideally be a professor who has taught you for at least one full academic term, and/or supervised your work in a project or a research paper, or your internship supervisor. Always remember that the quality of interaction matters more than the recommender’s designation/seniority. Hence, it’s better to get a recommendation from a lecturer who has worked closely with you than from the Department Head who barely knows you. What matters is the recommender’s ability to write insightfully about your skills, attitude and academic journey, through first-hand observations.

2. If your recommender has academic or professional experience in the same field as your intended program, it can add credibility to their assessment of your fit for that program. For example, if you’re applying to an MS in Biotechnology, a professor who teaches genetics or molecular biology can provide more targeted feedback than someone from an unrelated field. Similarly, if you’re applying for an MBA, you would obviously be securing an academic LOR from a professor who has taught / supervised you in business-related coursework / projects. Additionally, it can help if they either have an MBA themselves or relevant industry experience. If they’re also an alum of the same school you’re applying to, that’s a bonus, but that’s not essential. What matters most is that they understand the demands of a management program and can convincingly validate your leadership potential, decision-making skills or collaborative abilities, based on first-hand interaction with you.

3. Choose a particular recommender only when you’re sure that they’re willing to support you positively. Choose someone who is likely to write with enthusiasm, take inputs from you if needed, and help showcase your potential honestly and constructively.

It is Smart to Start Building Your Relationship with the recommender Early On

You’ll agree that strong LORs don’t happen overnight; they are built on trust and familiarity. That’s why it’s a good idea to start building rapport with your potential recommenders well in advance. Here are a few simple ways to do that.

1. Participate actively in class and take initiative in academic discussions

2. Volunteer to assist professors with research or departmental work

3. Get involved in co-curricular or group activities they supervise

4. Stay in touch even after graduation, and keep them updated on your (academic or professional) progress, and future plans.

5. Even a quick email sharing your achievements, or a simple thank-you note for their mentorship (during High school or undergraduate days, as the case may be) can go a long way in maintaining a healthy connection. Professors are much more likely to write a strong, supportive letter when they feel their efforts have been acknowledged by you.

How to Get The Best From Your Professor

Now that you understand what makes a strong academic LOR, and how to choose the right recommender, it’s time to approach them. Remember that the recommender will be investing their time and effort to support your future, and hence this is a favor. So be thoughtful, respectful and considerate when you ask.

1. Asking for the LOR: In Person or Over Email?

   If you’re still in college, you will have access to your professors on campus. In such a case, ask them in person. A face-to-face conversation feels more personal and more meaningful. Briefly remind them of your academic interaction, maybe a class you took, a project they guided you on, or a paper you submitted under them. Express why you think their perspective would be valuable to your application. Let them know that you feel they could provide valuable insight into your academic strengths and work ethic. Before you go ahead, be sure that they would be comfortable writing the letter. You want them to feel free to decline if they don’t feel they know you well enough.

   Emailing should be an option if nothing else works, maybe because you have shifted to a different city. But it is still better to meet in person. In case it’s a couple of years or more since you left college, they may not easily recall you. If you meet them in person, they may recollect better. Also, sometimes the professor might miss a mail and so may not respond.

   In case you need to mail, here’s a little sample letter you can use (with the required modifications) to request for an LOR.

   Subject: Request for Academic Recommendation for Master’s Application

   Dear Professor ABC,

   I hope you’re doing well.

   I am XYZ from your Data Structures class, batch of 2022. I’m writing to ask if you would feel comfortable writing me a letter of recommendation for my application to MS in Data Science at Columbia University.

   I thoroughly enjoyed your course in my 7th and 8th semesters (2021-22), and I learned a great deal, especially during the project, “COVID-19 Data Visualization and Trend Forecasting Using Python”, for which you were my project guide. I believe you’ve seen my work ethic and academic approach closely, and I feel your recommendation would add valuable perspective to my application.

   The deadline for submission is XYZ date, and I would be happy to share my updated resume, transcript, statement of purpose, and any other information you might find helpful.

   Please let me know if you would support me on this request. Thank you, either way, for your time.

   Warm regards,

   Write your full name, your batch, name of your college, your phone no. Do follow the email with a call as per their convenience.

2. Ask Early

   Contact your recommender as soon as possible, at least 4-6 weeks before you plan to get the LOR submitted. Remember that people are busy, so be sensitive to their time. Moreover, they may be receiving many recommendation requests from other students as well. Creating a meaningful LOR takes time, so don’t hurry or hound them every other day. Give them space and time.

3. Give Them All Relevant Details

   Once your professor agrees to provide the recommendation letter, try to make the process easy for them.

   1. Politely explain about the program that you’re applying for. Tell them why exactly you are applying for this program; this could be because of career-based and even personal reasons. This will help the recommender provide a more tailored LOR with a thoughtful incident. Professors will feel motivated to write LORs when they understand what drives you to do this program. For instance, you may be applying for MBA because of your passion for entrepreneurship or because you need to take over your family business (write where & when the recommender has witnessed your spirit of entrepreneurship). Or you may be applying for a PhD in Machine Learning, because of your strong research skills observed by the professor during your project on “Optimizing Deep Learning Models for Image Recognition in Medical Diagnostics”.

   2. Offer to send a Résumé, academic transcript or SOP. Tell them about the knowledge and skills required for your intended program so that they can align your qualities accordingly. Jog their memory with snippets of what you have done under them. This may include projects, a significant paper presentation, seminar or any other co-curricular activity you participated in. Also, share the challenges you faced, and your achievements. If there was any singular incident with this professor, you can share that too.

   3. In case any of your intended universities have any specific LOR requirements like word or character restrictions, be sure to share this very important information.

   4. The recommender may have to give the LOR on their official letterhead, with their official stamp and signature. In case any university requires the recommendations to be uploaded on their portals, explain the process to them.

   5. Lay out timelines so that they know by when to provide the letter, and can schedule time accordingly.

4. In Case of Multiple Applications

   If you’re applying to multiple universities that require different academic LORs, let the professor know. Let them also know how many schools you’re applying to and the expected number of LORs, so they can be prepared for the extra work and don’t feel overwhelmed.

   For most MS programs, the same LOR can usually be reused with little or no change, since the core content about your skills & achievements remains relevant across applications. For MBA applications, the situation is a bit different. Some schools may give specific prompts, and this can vary across B-Schools. While the exact wording can’t simply be copy-pasted from one LOR to another, much of the core content, stories, & examples will remain similar, and can be tweaked accordingly. Here are some sample LORs for UG, MS and MBA programs.

   It’s helpful to explain this to your recommender, so they understand that, although they might see many different prompts, the effort mostly involves minor adjustments rather than re-writing new letters each time.

5. Follow up Respectfully

   As mentioned above, allow your professor sufficient time to complete the LOR. If your deadlines are approaching, and you have not received any communication regarding the LOR, you may mail them a polite reminder. You may also ask them if they are facing any hurdles in writing the LOR and if you can help in any way. If they still do not respond, you may go to meet or call them. If that too doesn’t work, consider changing your recommender, while you still have time. That’s why it’s a good idea to have 1-2 backup recommenders in mind, just in case.

6. Show Gratitude

   On receiving the letter, be sure to thank them formally. Also let them know that you will keep them updated on the admission results, and then keep your word. They will appreciate your acknowledgement of their efforts and, should you need another LOR at a later date, maybe for an internship or a job opportunity, they’d be more than happy to oblige.

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