For students in universities with large classes, how do you get your rec letter for transfer? Or do you reuse ones from HS?
Also, would asking profs/TAs who only taught you for one term be detrimental to your app or is that the norm in university as you prob wont get the same instructor/ TA twice.
You can go to office hours and get to know a prof.
Many are taught for a semester and not a year. Why would that be an issue if they’re willing to write you a letter?
Most colleges do not allow transfer applicants to use high school recommendations, including recycled ones. You must contact current college professors/instructors or academic advisors on-campus for recommendations.
Make use of office hours. You don’t have to show up weekly—stopping by two or three times a term to ask engaging questions about course material or feedback puts a face to your name.
No
No, it is not detrimental at all—it is the norm.
Go to office hours (you should anyway). My daughter got one from a professor she never met in person (online class), she zoomed frequently with her. Covid changed things.
“How to get recommendation letters in large university classes?”
You ask.
When I was in large classes:
I participated in class discussions.
I met with the professor’s graduate student who taught the labs.
I attended office hours.
I scored well on my tests.
I asked for my LORs before the breaks and NOT at the end of the term.
If you’ve done what you’re supposed to do in class, they’re more than happy to write the letters for you.
Did you ask the prof or the grad student?
So one term is alright to ask for a rec letter, I am worried that the recommender might decline since one term might be too short to know someone
Is the prof someone she just knew for one term ? or known for several terms
If you have to ask, then you’re not keeping in touch with the professor nor the grad student.
The professor. I always asked the professor.
What you need to get past is that the professors, at one time, were students and they know what you are going through because they had to go through a Bachelors’, a Masters’ and a PhD to get to where they are.
They know what it’s like to be a student.
If they don’t know who you are, they will tell you: “I don’t know who you are” so you had better be one of their most proactive students.
It is the start of the term so I dont know how easy it would be to have access to the prof. If I can see my prof often then I will ask prof. If not, then I will have to ask my TA. I am active in class especially since I am going to be asking for a LoR.
more worried about not having access to prof or one term being too short, not worried about my activeness in class since I will prob be extra active in class since I am asking for a LoR
I had a Freshman English teacher.
Everyone was really quiet in her class, and the material wasn’t that difficult, but it was a 2 o’clock afternoon class and she had a great way of teaching this boring subject.. the students became more participative and engaged.
Later, at the end of the semester, she asked me what my major was. She offered to write me a letter. I didn’t even have to ask her. I took her up on it.
If you’re going to be active in class, just for a letter of recommendation, the professors are smart and can read you like a book. They may say no if you’re only trying to use them.
Your grades and understanding of the material better be tops! And you need to be sincere.
Well I am also going to get good grades as well since i think the commonapp lor asks prof to rank students academic ability