when to approach potential references?

[spctle342]

So, I've identified a few programs I'd like to attend in fall 2012, but haven't completely finalized my choices. I have a few people in mind when asking for LoRs, including my thesis advisor (who has already assured me she plans to provide a stellar letter) and my internship supervisor (who has the degree I want in the specific area I want and attended one of my top-choice institutions with an amazing academic record). Because I come from a small school with an even smaller department in my major, I haven't taken more than one class with any instructors that I believe are capable of writing a letter (literally, as in being able to communicate effectively in writing, not being able to attest to my qualifications).

So my third choice is probably my research methods instructor from a related department, though I've only taken one class with him. I'd like to approach him to gauge whether or not he's willing to provide a letter, as well as whether or not he feels he could provide a strong letter on some of the criteria the admissions committees are looking for. I'm not ready to officially ask anyone to write a reference, since I obviously need to be further along in my preparation. What I'm wondering is... when would be a good time to contact this professor to discuss the possibility of a LoR, not the actual letter?

I imagine it's good to feel these things out so I'm not counting on having LoRs from people who aren't able to give them. The semester ends tomorrow, and I won't be taking classes on campus this summer--I have no idea what his schedule is like this summer, but I know the other faculty member in his department has resigned, so he'll be pulling double-duty; therefore, it seems prudent to provide as much advance notice as possible. Help?

[runonsentence]

So my third choice is probably my research methods instructor from a related department, though I've only taken one class with him. I'd like to approach him to gauge whether or not he's willing to provide a letter, as well as whether or not he feels he could provide a strong letter on some of the criteria the admissions committees are looking for. I'm not ready to officially ask anyone to write a reference, since I obviously need to be further along in my preparation. What I'm wondering is... when would be a good time to contact this professor to discuss the possibility of a LoR, not the actual letter?

I imagine it's good to feel these things out so I'm not counting on having LoRs from people who aren't able to give them. The semester ends tomorrow, and I won't be taking classes on campus this summer--I have no idea what his schedule is like this summer, but I know the other faculty member in his department has resigned, so he'll be pulling double-duty; therefore, it seems prudent to provide as much advance notice as possible. Help?

I wouldn't sweat it so much—there's nothing wrong with writing to your instructor once the semester's out and asking about the possibility of writing a letter then, since as you mentioned he'll need some extra lead time for writing. What you might consider doing is writing to ask about the possibility of getting a letter written and identifying a target deadline (say August or September) when you could send on additional materials to help him write, like your SOP draft and list of schools.

If your letter writer's time is truly a concern, what will be just as important as when you ask for the letter is when you get a finalized list of schools to him. I had a letter writer also under time constraints last year, and it was a huge burden that many schools' electronic application systems (though not all) required that I submit the entire application before it would send a notification to my instructor that allowed her to login and upload her letter. So what I did was check with all of my schools to make sure they accepted hardcopy letters and let her mail them all in at once, so that she didn't have to wait on me when sending in her letters to my schools.

[FutureWorks2011]

So, I've identified a few programs I'd like to attend in fall 2012, but haven't completely finalized my choices. I have a few people in mind when asking for LoRs, including my thesis advisor (who has already assured me she plans to provide a stellar letter) and my internship supervisor (who has the degree I want in the specific area I want and attended one of my top-choice institutions with an amazing academic record). Because I come from a small school with an even smaller department in my major, I haven't taken more than one class with any instructors that I believe are capable of writing a letter (literally, as in being able to communicate effectively in writing, not being able to attest to my qualifications).

So my third choice is probably my research methods instructor from a related department, though I've only taken one class with him. I'd like to approach him to gauge whether or not he's willing to provide a letter, as well as whether or not he feels he could provide a strong letter on some of the criteria the admissions committees are looking for. I'm not ready to officially ask anyone to write a reference, since I obviously need to be further along in my preparation. What I'm wondering is... when would be a good time to contact this professor to discuss the possibility of a LoR, not the actual letter?

I imagine it's good to feel these things out so I'm not counting on having LoRs from people who aren't able to give them. The semester ends tomorrow, and I won't be taking classes on campus this summer--I have no idea what his schedule is like this summer, but I know the other faculty member in his department has resigned, so he'll be pulling double-duty; therefore, it seems prudent to provide as much advance notice as possible. Help?

Generally LOR go around October to December. Approaching your professors in August would be ideal. Although you can go right away if you think contacting them later would be hassle for you.

[GardeningGrad]

I agree with above responses. If you send out feelings (i.e. "I'll be applying to grad school come December. You came to mind as an excellent writer for a letter of recommendation due to your experiences with my scholarship in ____ class/research. Would you be willing to write a letter of recommendation on my behalf for my graduate applications? I would be happy to provide you with my CV and brief Statement of Purpose for your reference."

If yes, give them the deadline for the LOR and inform them when to look for further information. Some applications require LOR writers to submit directly to the application website... meaning you can only ask the LOR writer to write once you've formally begun the application process.