How to get close to professors?

[Randall Lin]

Are the only ways to eventually get LORs as follows?:

• Research (then most likely post-doc, grad student written)
  
• Industry (PhD manager?)
  
• Professor from multiple classes (hard to do)
  

The first one I can actively try for. I don't really want to go into industry so there's no point for number 2. Are there other methods and suggestions? Thanks!

[surefire]

You could also try:

• A very research/essay heavy course that allows for quick and quality acquaintanceship with your work (4th-year undergraduate honours thesis, avanced methods/theory course, directed reading class).
  
• Joining a committee/club/group that has some potential referees (English Major? You'll find some department reps. on the Board of Directors for the University newspaper).
  
• Joining a committee/club/group that is representative of your discipline/department and students therein. Lead the study groups for the compulsory classes, be part of a collective/society that organizes guest speakers/movie nights ect; Referees notice when you become the go-to person to consult to assess the student climate.
  

It really depends what level you are currently at (BA/MA/PhD) and where you are looking to ascend.

[ktel]

I was never one to really have questions about my course work, so I never really spoke to many of my professors early on in my undergrad. Many of my professors happened to know who I was or at least recognize me due to me being a (blonde) girl in engineering, but that was about it. What allowed me to forge close relationships with professors in my final year of undergrad was via the first method surefire suggested. I took 2 such courses, one a design project, one a research project, that involved working with two different professors quite closely. I forged very close relationships with them.

[Sigaba]

What ever course of action you take to get close to a professor, please consider the value of subtlety--if not also authenticity. That is, assume that a POI will quickly figure out if you're genuinely interested in an intellectual sense in his/her work or if you're just blowing sunshine to get what you want.

[eco_env]

If you write a thesis, you might be able to use thesis committee members as recommenders- though if you start the thesis in your senior year it might be a little late to start developing a relationship. I'm having a similar problem- I'm in my first year of grad school and applying for fellowships now, and I'm not sure how to develop relationships with faculty quickly so that I can ask them for recommendation letters. In certain classes (most) I don't develop the kind of relationship with the professor where I'd want them to write me a letter- sometimes I need to ask questions (about assignments, for ex) that reflect badly on me. For undergrad I ended up asking a professor I didn't do research with to write me a letter- I took 2 classes with him, one of which involved having meetings with him about presentations/a small research project. Otherwise, I asked professors whose labs I worked in- for 1 of them I mostly interacted with an older student in the lab, but I still met with the professor at lab meetings, and later when I started my own research project. If you are doing research, go to lab meetings and ask the head of the lab if you can do some independent work, so s/he will get to know you.

Also, a letter from a postdoc could be good- a postdoc wrote one of my letters (but s/he was also my instructor for some classes).

Edited November 11, 2011 by eco_env

[gradschoolguru]

One additional way to get to know your professors better is to jump at opportunities to become involved with activities outside of class that he or she might announce or suggest to participate in (e.g., volunteer activities, local event related to the course, university sponsored research conference). As an undergraduate, I remember a professor asking if anyone in our class wanted to submit their class project to a regional conference and present it there. I volunteered to do this, knowing grad school was in my future, and got to know that professor well in the process.