When going to ask for a recommendation letter some things you want to think about are:

Who Should Recommend You?
Ask a teacher of professor that you have a good relationship with, preferably one that knows who you are, your work ethic, and has a good opinion of you. Before going to ask for a recommendation letter, you might want to build a relationship with that professor by going to his/her office hours. If the teacher doesn’t know who you are, then he/she can’t really write a good long recommendation letter.

Ask a professor whose class you are doing well in. A recommendation letter is supposed to be a good thing so if you aren’t doing well in the class, then the professor probably won’t have a lot to write about, and it probably won’t make for a good recommendation letter.

How much time should you provide your recommender?
Give the person who you are asking plenty of notice to write the letter before you need it, asking the day before will result in either you not getting your letter or getting a poorly written letter. In order for someone to write a decent recommendation letter, the person writing it should have some time to think and not feel rushed to write the letter. If you procrastinate and ask the person you want the letter from last minute they probably will say no because the fact that you waited so long shows your lack of care and adds extra stress to their already busy schedule. So give them a week or notice so that they will have time to write a good letter. If you ask too far in advance, this could also be bad because the professor could forget to do the letter.

What information do I need to provide my recommender?
Do not go and ask for a recommendation letter if you are not prepared yourself. When you go to ask for the letter you will want to have the following things already prepared for the people who you are asking for the letters.

• Deadline (date it is due)
• Your full name, address, e-mail, and telephone number.
• Two copies of any forms they need to fill out.
• The name and address for the recommendation, along with a copy of your application.
• Instructions on how the recommendation is to be submitted. (e.g. do you send it in or does the recommender).
• Stamped, addressed envelope for their convenience.
• Information about what you are applying for.
• A copy of your
  • résumé.
  • transcripts.

You might also want to provide to your recommender some points to be covered in the recommendation. This can be of real help to your recommender and it’s not being too forward. Don’t forget to thank the person who is writing your letter at your request. Finally, make it a point to let your recommender know the result of your application. Even if you didn’t receive what you were seeking, it’s still good to let your recommender know..