Letters of Recommendation Review

Stronger relationships with professors allow for strong, more unique letters of recommendation that can lead to an increase in chance of being accepted into graduate school. 

Vicki Harris a professor at Albion college who teaches Economics and Management understands the difficulties students have when trying to build relationships with professors. 

"I always asked my students to come talk to me after class, in office hours, let me know of campus activities I could attend etc..." Harris said. 

While it has been difficult for senior RaeAnn Tourangeau to speak to her professor one-on-one with class sizes of 400 students, she has still managed to ask for a letter of recommendation. 

Tourangeau said she asked her anatomy professor for a letter of recommendation. "I've been going to his help room twice a week and then I just asked him two weeks ago for a letter of recommendation" Tourangeau said. 

Trying to get your professors to remember who you are can be difficult, especially at a university like Michigan State where you're more likely to be know by your PID. 

Helping professors equate a name to a number will be extremely helpful. "Schedule meet times with your professors, talk about goal/plans for graduate school. Give an updated copy of a resume and share the personal statement for grad school. This helps faculty write a letter that's more specific on a per school/per program basis" Harris said. 

Having a relationship with your professors are important and it also helps when your professors know more than just your name and grades. "I think professors can write a letter of recommendation without having a strong relationship with a student BUT having a relationship allows faculty to write about multiple aspects about a students that likely will help differentiate the student from other candidates" Harris said. 

Kailey Shelton, MSU senior said letters of recommendation, "are a huge favor to ask for and so you always want to be one step ahead of your game. And that's why honestly, getting a letter of recommendation that's something that you start two, three years beforehand and it doesn't end when you ask for a letter of recommendation you have to keep following up."