Ask your professor in person. It takes time and care to write a good letter of recommendation. Ask your professor nicely, politely and sensitively. Ask in person (not by a quickly jotted, informal email in all lower case!).

Ask well before the deadline. Professors are busy, and so you should ask for the letter well in advance of the due date. How far in advance? At least a month before the due date, the earlier the better. Never ask for a letter with fewer than two weeks until the deadline. Don't forget to tell the professor the due date of application!

Make your professor's job easy. Fill out as much information as you can. If the recommendation is on a graduate school form, then, before you give the form to the professor, write the professor's name, address, phone number, etc. If the recommendation needs to be mailed, give the professor a stamped, addressed envelope. These courtesies are especially important if the professor must write several recommendations.

The more information you provide, the better letter you'll get. Just because you did well in the professor's class doesn't mean that they know you well. This is very important: the more information you can give the professor, the better the letter your professor can write! You may want to provide some or all of the following...

- Your resume - Information about the program to which    you're applying - Honor societies to which you belong - Anything that makes you unique - Awards that you have won - Relevant work experience or internships

- Service activities such as volunteer work - Copies of admissions essays - Information about your experiences with    the letter writer (e.g., courses taken, class    project topics, etc.) - Anything you want included in the letter

Waive your rights. Many letters of recommendation allow you to chose whether you waive or retain your rights to see the letter. You should always waive your rights. The readers of the letter will give the letter more weight. Many letter writers won't write a non-confidential letter. If you're nervous that the letter writer won't write you a good letter of recommendation, then ask someone else!

Follow up. The absent minded professor is more than just a cliche. Your professor may forget to write your letter. Don't be afraid to check in periodically with your professor to see if the recommendation has been sent. Just be careful not to be a nag.

Thank your professor! Write a thank-you note to your letter writer!

Did you get it? Let your professor know if you get the job, the intership or the spot in graduate school. They want to know!