<p>I'm planning to transfer but I'm worried about professor recommendations. I'm quiet and while I'm sure that none of my professors have negative opinions about me, I feel like the best recommendation I could get would be lukewarm simply because I rarely interacted with any of them. I go to a small school, so I feel like I missed lots of opportunities to make connections with professors the way that other students probably are. I've got straight-A's so far (I'm going to be a first-semester sophomore after this summer), but despite my good grades, I don't feel like I especially stood out, at least not in the way that the commonapp lists: 'class participation,' 'self-confidence,' 'responsibility' etc. Based on that paragraph, will I be disadvantaged in comparison to other transfer applicants? Is there anything I can do now, or is it too late?
Here's some slightly more concrete questions:
-Should I ask for a recommendation in person or in an email?
-Should I ask for a recommendation from a professor even though I never went to his/her office hours? (I've actually never been to anyone's office hours)
-Should I only ask for recommendations from professors whose classes I took last semester? Or could I ask for a recommendation from a current (in this case, Fall 2012) professor, even though I'll only have known them for a few months before it's time to apply?</p>
<p>I felt the same way when I was applying to transfer… like you, I had straight A’s, but didn’t really speak up in class or talk to most of my professors outside of class, and I was really nervous about asking them for recommendations (I also felt super awkward asking them to write me a letter to leave their school…).</p>
<p>I think it would be fine to ask a professor you have in the fall for a recommendation - it’s more current anyways, and it would probably look better to have a recommendation talking about your performance in (I assume) a more advanced class. I would definitely ask in person… when I went and asked both professors, they had me talk through why I wanted to transfer and what I wanted to accomplish, which probably gave them a better basis for the recommendations. Also, one of my professors mentioned that his wife was an alum of one of the schools I was applying to (where I’m now attending!), and arranged for us to have coffee together. She majored in the same field as me, and actually contacted her former advisor to have him pass my name on to the admissions office, so I’m sure that had a big impact on me being accepted, so you never know what interesting connections will turn up!</p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>If you’ve had long-term plans of transferring, being quiet isn’t really an excuse not to interact with your professor. I have soul-crushing social anxiety, but I bit the bullet and got to know one of my professors pretty well so he could write a proper recommendation for me. It may sound deceitful and manipulative, but that’s because it is: unless you genuinely enjoy the subject or talking to your professor, you’re going to have to fake it.</p>
<p>I know it’s awkward, but there’s no other way to get it done. I suggest you get to know one of your professors in the upcoming semester–participate in class discussions, ask questions after class, do well in his/her class (this should go without saying), meet up during office hours, etc. Best of luck.</p>