How to get the know professors after you graduated?

[pogopuschel]

Hey everyone,

I am planning to apply to a Master's program in Computer Science, mainly at Stanford. I went to a good undergraduate school and had a high GPA. I also have a strong reason of wanting to go to graduate school and related industry experience in the field I am trying to specialize in. I think I can write a very strong statement of purpose.

My problem are LORs. I never imagined I would want to go to graduate school and wasn't interested in research during my undergraduate studies. Similarly, I basically never went to office hours for my classes because I didn't feel the need to. In short, I don't know any professors. I was a TA for one class which also included weekly meeting with the professor, so that would be the only person I feel kind of comfortable asking for a recommendation letter. That means I'm still missing 2, possibly 3 since I don't even know if that person is willing to write me a letter.

Since the application deadline is in December I still have time to make up for it. But how do I go about getting to know professors now that I'm out of school? Should I email a bunch of people and ask for volunteering position? Should I take or audit classes at another university? Any other possibilities? I'm no longer living close to my undergraduate school either.

Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks for any kind of input

Edited February 19, 2012 by pogopuschel

[ktel]

I think the best way to go about this is to go to the one professor you do have a relationship with and ask for his advice in regards to applying to grad school. He can probably give you the best suggestions for getting the reference letters you need, as he would know his colleagues better than we do

[slaNYC]

I don't know about your field but in mine we are asked for 3 letters of recommendation. Two should come from professors and one may come from a professional relationship. If you have a boss now that can write an exceptional letter that will help a lot. Then if the prof that you do have some relationship with writes you a letter you will only need one more.

I work at a major university doing research so I hear about the process a lot from my boss. She's always asked to write letters for students she hardly knows (at the graduate level!). You could reach out to one or two professors that you got A's in their class, tell them you are considering applying to graduate school, remind them of who you are (maybe attach a paper) and ask them if they would be willing to write you a letter. Give them an out by saying something like "I understand how busy you are so if you don't feel like you will have time I completely understand." Professors should tell you if they don't think they can write you a good letter. They will say something like "I don't know you that well so I can only write about how you did in this one class."

The good news is that you have nearly a year until the application process starts (if I understand your post). Therefore, I might suggest rather than having a letter that isn't so strong, I might take a class in your field and really spend time getting to know that professor. That will give you your 3rd letter, and hopefully a good one, where the person can write about more than how you performed in one class several years ago. A strong letter should be able to speak to both your personality and your potential to do well in graduate studies.

Good luck.

Edited February 19, 2012 by slaNYC

[pogopuschel]

Thanks for the responses so for.

I think the best way to go about this is to go to the one professor you do have a relationship with and ask for his advice in regards to applying to grad school.

Thanks. It would probably be best to do this in person but I'm not living close to my undergraduate institution anymore so unfortunately that's not possible. And even though I worked for this professor as a TA we are really not that close, I was mostly dealing with the other TA's.

It's true that only 2 LORs are required to come from academic sources. However it seems like letters from academic sources are more highly regarded than industry ones. Also, I'm currently self-employed so I don't really have a boss that could write me a letter of recommendations. Sure, I could ask one of my clients or partners to write one for me with basically anything I want but I doubt that would be looked favorably upon

Thanks for the other suggestions. I'll definitely try to ask professors I've gotten an A with even though they may not know me. If they don't seem enthusiastic about write a LOR suggesting that it wouldn't stand out then I could always decline the offer or move on to another one.

I'll definitely try to take or audit a class at another institution and try to get the know the professor. Of course I can't just enroll as a regular student so I'll have to look into possibilities for auditing. As far as I know that requires consent from the professor. Does anyone have experience with this? Maybe I could say something along the lines of "I'm very interested in applying to grad school but I'd like to get a taste what it's like, etc"?

[CarlieE]

A good friend of mine is also in the same bind. He ended up enrolling as a Student at Large for this Spring semester at the uni he got his UG from and has been trying to renew his network at school ie. attending presentations and conferences out of class, going to see former professors during office hours.

I think you might be surprised to find that a lot of professors will remember you, especially if you did well in their classes or participated a lot. Professors also talk among themselves; a few times since I've applied to grad school (and got accepted) I've been introduced to professors I didn't know (at all; didn't take their classes, not my department) and received responses like "Oh, I've heard about you" or "Congratulations, I heard..."

The former response "Oh, I've heard about you..." always gets me. Is that good or bad??? Either way, my point is, you might find that you are more well-known than you think you are, especially because you had a high GPA and were a good student.

[ktel]

To second anthroDork, I found that happened to me all the time. Partly because I was the only blonde girl in my classes (Mech Eng) and partly because I did really well in my classes. I never went to office hours, yet they still knew who I was.

[rose1]

I remember going to some kind of banquet at the end of my college experience and having several professors I barely knew congratulate me on accomplishments they'd heard about from others in the department. Some even told me they saw pictures of my travels on facebook!

Two take-aways:

1. Professors probably remember you better than you think.

2. Be careful what you put on facebook!!

[habanero]

You could always volunteer 10 hours per week in a lab if you have no other options. Most professors would be glad to have the help.

[raybigs92]

pogopuschel I am in a very similar predicament. I am currently completing my final two courses for my undergrad degree by distance and I relocated back to Australia from the USA (where my institution is located) so I feel I have no opportunities to now form a relationship with professors. I am also self employed so there is no option for me to even get a letter from an employer. I am even contemplating taking an additional course (above what is required to complete my degree) with a professor whose courses I have taken in the past in hopes of getting a letter from them! Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Edited June 2, 2012 by misswhisker

[raybigs92]

You could always volunteer 10 hours per week in a lab if you have no other options. Most professors would be glad to have the help.

Do you know if you can volunteer at a lab at any University or do you need to be a student?

[emmm]

Where I am, you don't need to be a student to volunteer in a lab, but it is often EASIER to get a position as a student. Emails from outsiders are often ignored (as most of mine were when I was trying to volunteer before I got admitted to the school I am now at).

[raybigs92]

^^ I'm in Australia at the moment but I'm finishing up a degree from the States. Did you end up receiving a volunteer position before you got admitted?