I am 1.5 years out of undergrad (09) and very much ready for grad school, although I am still making decisions about exactly what I want to study, and as such, not going to make application deadlines this year. Which I'm fine with- I think I would like the extra year of professional experience. Plus, I have procrastinated this long on asking for letters of rec. (I know, I am delusional).
Which brings me to my point: I am completely stumped by the whole LOR business. I went to an excellent top ranked undergrad program. I did well, earned a respectable GPA and am hoping to apply to some very competitive grad programs (in the humanities), perhaps with false hope.
However, I had limited relationships with my professors. Even though my department was small, because of distribution requirements, I only had two professors for more than one course. Typically my classes were lectures/ seminars that required one- maybe two- papers at the end of the semester, so virtually no one-on-one research with faculty, but lots of class discussion. I was also involved in campus activities, but all were student-run. I think I was generally of the impression that my professors were way too busy/ important to give me the time of day.
I am baffled by other posters' descriptions of their close faculty relationships. Do I underestimate their ability to remember me? Someone reminded me that LORs are "just their job," but if that's the case, than how is it that we don't all end up with rote letters? Is gradcafe just an especially competitive community?
So, any tips on how I can remedy this now? I believe I can get at least two positive recommendations out of very prominent professors, but only one can speak to my research. How do I remind my professors of who I am and coax a good letter out of them? What's the best angle for someone I only knew for one semester? Can I use the next year before I apply to foster those relationships somehow?