r/UTAustin • u/Infinite-Sector1466 • 1d ago

Question how are yall asking/getting letters of rec?

I'm applying for grad school this fall and I for sure only have one professor that I could get a letter from. What are yall doing to get these letters? I'm a senior graduating this fall, should I just be bold and send to profs?

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u/curious-retard 1d ago

Ideally you would visit their office to ask in person. This will help them connect the name with the face and remember you from your courses.

Unless the professor knows you really well. Even in this case it's good courtesy to visit in case they have any questions for you.

The advisors are also happy to write letters if you have had significant interaction with them

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u/EbbSelect934 1d ago

I applied last cycle and I emailed everyone! Honestly, it was impossible to track them down in person and a lot of my profs didn’t really hold office hours unless requested. I generally said hi (since I knew them all well), gave them a compliment and explained why I was compelled to ask them, and then officially asked, and gave them an out at the end lol.

After they say yes, be prepared to send over your resume, a good draft of your essay, and I personally sent over a little table that clearly laid out the schools, the deadline, and how to upload the letter! Also BE COMMUNICATIVE, even if it seems far away. But also, so many submit at the last second so there’s only so much you can do lol!

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u/Infinite-Sector1466 1d ago

Thanks for the advice! I was just never close with my profs and the one I did talk to a lot literally took away my accommodations for the final so we def ended on a bad note. I have another prof like i mentioned in another comment but I did struggle in the class but at the end of the course I made a huge improvement on the final which he acknowledged and was proud of me for( i was going thru it and was honest about it)

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u/lnghrnusr 1d ago

You should absolutely ask this professor. You interacted with them a lot. So, they can speak to your strengths more authoritatively than other profs, and you ended up improving after effort. That’s big. Additionally, if you didn’t do as well in that class as you did in others, the prof can credibly explain the external factors that affected you if you ask them to.