Letters of Recommendation
Ask for letters 3 months in advance of your first deadline.
Strong letters are guided by how you ask and by the information you provide.
Ask in person first.
Follow up with an information packet.
Ask recommenders what format they prefer the above info in (paper, electronic, or both).
If they want hard copies, put the info in a brightly colored folder so it stands out on their desks.
Your info packet should include...
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Letter/memo
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Thank them for writing you a letter. You can also explain why you chose them as a recommender and what you hope they will speak to. If you do this strategically, each of your letters could address a different aspect of your briliance. For instance, I asked one recommender to talk about my contributions to the writing center, one to talk about my teaching abilities, and one to focus on my strengths as a student.
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Updated CV
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Current draft of your personal statement
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List of things you worked on with that recommender
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This may be assignments you wrote for them or little projects you did for them. These things may not be on your CV, but they will help remind your recommender of all the things they *could* write about in their letters.
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A list of schools you're applying to and information about the programs
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Deadlines for each letter
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Instructions on when and how to submit each letter
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Additional materials (SASEs, school-specific forms, etc.)