<p>As doing the transfer application recently, I am facing some problems for asking the Professors a recommendation letter.</p>
<p>Honestly, I am not familiar with those professors in this first semester, since they are all big classes!!! I feel it is rare to ask a recommendation letter while your professors probably don't know about you at all. (I did not go to office hours often, if I had no questions. Even I went to office hours, TA would come to help first, but not really professor. So those TAs all know about me.) However, I do sit in the front of the class all the time and got all "A" in those classes, except for my Spanish class.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I knew well enough with a professor who is my Spanish teacher. She is very nice, but I just get a "B" in her class, because Spanish as my third language is really hard to me.</p>
<p>So, what should I do for the recommendation letters? Shoud I ask those "unfamiliar" professors for a recommendation letter, or go for my Spanish teacher who know me well, or maybe just ask all of them? What do you think?</p>
<p>Also, do you guys use different recommendation letters for different schools, or just use one for all??? Any thoughts will be help!!!!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!</p>
<p>I am sure most schools allow you to substitute atleast one prof rec with one from a TA. That is only if you think your TA knows you better than the prof and also more often than you would think professors do take the opinion of the TAs specially if they don’t know much about you</p>
<p>For some schools, like Columbia U, at least one rec has to be from someone that has taught you in an academic discipline. So just don’t only send the TA rec if that’s what you were thinking =]</p>
<p>I think I would not ask the TAs for a rec’ letter, but I would let the professors know who is my TA, so that professors could have some references on me.</p>
<p>TAs are generally Graduate STUDENTS…so they might not have much time or concern on rec’ letter. (I might be wrong :D)</p>
<p>And for my question, should I go to those unfamiliar professors??? And generally, how do you address to the professor for rec’ letter via email???</p>
<p>Asking for recommendations is part of academia, so it’s not really a strange request. The T.A.s (and professors) needed LORs to get admitted to graduate school. </p>
<p>I would ask the Spanish professor. Will you need 2 LORs? I would then ask the T.A. I used the same two professors for all of my schools. </p>
<p>Ask the professor/ TA to write a LOR for you in person. This way you can find someone else if the instructor seems reluctant. Make an appointment to meet with him/her. During the meeting I told the instructor why I needed an LOR. I brought a folder with my resume, addressed and stamped envelopes, and deadlines. </p>
<p>I also probably consider my Spanish proferssor for rec’ letter, even my grade is not so well in the class, but she has known my difficulty on learning a third language and my hard performance whatever inside or outside of the classroom. This may also be a good explaination for my “B” grade to the admission.</p>
<p>I will also ask at least one more LOR from other professor, just in case.</p>
<p>But most of the schools, just ask for ONE recommendation letter. I really want to send two rec’ letters, one from my spanish professor, and one from a field that can show my academic strengh. Should I ask the admission on that issue?</p>