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Asking for Letters of Recommendation

16m · Ten Minutes Before Class · 08 Mar 00:00

I've divided topics related to asking for letters of recommendation into four categories:

Category 1: Who to Ask
1. Someone who can write positively
2. Someone with relevant experience for your application
3. Someone you know

Category 2: How and When to Ask
1. Contact the professor, by email or in person
2. Ask at the time you’re applying

Category 3: Providing Information
1. Make it easy for the recommender 
2. Watch email for additional requests 
3. Identify deadlines

Category 4: Follow Up Communications
1. Thank yous
2. Reminders


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosted by me, Professor Diascro (she, her, hers)! Be in touch with questions, concerns, thoughts about college by DM @10mbc_pod on Twitter or email at [email protected].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Art by ORCSAID
Produced and music by Matthew Diascro

The episode Asking for Letters of Recommendation from the podcast Ten Minutes Before Class has a duration of 16:42. It was first published 08 Mar 00:00. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.

More episodes from Ten Minutes Before Class

Asking for Letters of Recommendation

I've divided topics related to asking for letters of recommendation into four categories:

Category 1: Who to Ask
1. Someone who can write positively
2. Someone with relevant experience for your application
3. Someone you know

Category 2: How and When to Ask
1. Contact the professor, by email or in person
2. Ask at the time you’re applying

Category 3: Providing Information
1. Make it easy for the recommender 
2. Watch email for additional requests 
3. Identify deadlines

Category 4: Follow Up Communications
1. Thank yous
2. Reminders


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosted by me, Professor Diascro (she, her, hers)! Be in touch with questions, concerns, thoughts about college by DM @10mbc_pod on Twitter or email at [email protected].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Art by ORCSAID
Produced and music by Matthew Diascro




Asking for Letters of Recommendation

I've divided topics related to asking for letters of recommendation into four categories:

Category 1: Who to Ask
1. Someone who can write positively
2. Someone with relevant experience for your application
3. Someone you know

Category 2: How and When to Ask
1. Contact the professor, by email or in person
2. Ask at the time you’re applying

Category 3: Providing Information
1. Make it easy for the recommender 
2. Watch email for additional requests 
3. Identify deadlines

Category 4: Follow Up Communications
1. Thank yous
2. Reminders


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosted by me, Professor Diascro (she, her, hers)! Be in touch with questions, concerns, thoughts about college by DM @10mbc_pod on Twitter or email at [email protected].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Art by ORCSAID
Produced and music by Matthew Diascro

Being Informed in 2021

This is an inexhaustive list of folks I follow for their expertise about issues and problems of the day. 

·      Jelani Cobb (Twitter: jelani9): professor of journalism at Columbia; staff writer for The New Yorker.
·      Jack Goldsmith (Twitter: @jacklgoldsmith): professor at Harvard University, expert on national security, and co-founder of Lawfare.
·      Joanne Freeman (Twitter: @jbf1755): professor of history at Yale University. Her recent book is about violence in Congress during the Civil War period and she recently published an op-ed in the New York Times on the same topic. She has a lecture series called History Matters that is online and open to the public.
·      Rick Hasen (Twitter: @rickhasen): professor of law at the University of California Irvine; expert on election law and has a blog on the same topic.
·      Sherrilyn Ifill (Twitter: @Sifill_LDF): President of NAACP Legal Defense Fund, she’s an expert on civil liberties, most notably voting rights. Her guest appearance on Chris Hayes’s podcast Why Is This Happening last summer was one of the most compelling discussions about race I’ve experienced.
·      Orin Kerr (Twitter: @OrinKerr): professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley, he’s an expert on computer crime law and internet surveillance. I know almost nothing about these topics so following him has been eye opening.
·      Harry Litman (Twitter: @harrylitman): a former federal prosecutor, columnist for LA Times. His podcast, Talking Feds, includes a rotating group of former federal employees, journalists, and others to talk about current legal issues. His has a patreon too.
·      Barb McQuade (Twitter: @BarbMcQuade): professor of law professor at the University of Michigan, she’s a former federal prosecutor and expert on national security.
·      Dan Rather (Twitter: @DanRather): former news anchor, investigative journalist, and writer.  His has a Substack newsletter called Steady.
·      Heather Cox Richardson (Twitter:  @HC_Richardson): professor of history at Boston College with a Substack newsletter, Letters from an American.   
·      Adam Serwer (Twitter: @AdamSerwer): staff writer for The Atlantic Magazine
·      Zoe Tillman (Twitter: @ZoeTillman): journalist for Buzzfeed News, she is my go-to on courts and justice issues. 
·      Joyce Vance (Twitter: @JoyceWhiteVance): professor law professor at the University of Alabama and a former federal prosecutor.
·      Steve Vladeck (Twitter: @Steve_vladeck): professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosted by me, Professor Diascro (she, her, hers)! Be in touch with questions, concerns, thoughts about college by DM @10mbc_pod on Twitter or email at [email protected].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Art by ORCSAID
Produced and music by Matthew Diascro

Being Informed in 2021

This is an inexhaustive list of folks I follow for their expertise about issues and problems of the day. 

·      Jelani Cobb (Twitter: jelani9): professor of journalism at Columbia; staff writer for The New Yorker.
·      Jack Goldsmith (Twitter: @jacklgoldsmith): professor at Harvard University, expert on national security, and co-founder of Lawfare.
·      Joanne Freeman (Twitter: @jbf1755): professor of history at Yale University. Her recent book is about violence in Congress during the Civil War period and she recently published an op-ed in the New York Times on the same topic. She has a lecture series called History Matters that is online and open to the public.
·      Rick Hasen (Twitter: @rickhasen): professor of law at the University of California Irvine; expert on election law and has a blog on the same topic.
·      Sherrilyn Ifill (Twitter: @Sifill_LDF): President of NAACP Legal Defense Fund, she’s an expert on civil liberties, most notably voting rights. Her guest appearance on Chris Hayes’s podcast Why Is This Happening last summer was one of the most compelling discussions about race I’ve experienced.
·      Orin Kerr (Twitter: @OrinKerr): professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley, he’s an expert on computer crime law and internet surveillance. I know almost nothing about these topics so following him has been eye opening.
·      Harry Litman (Twitter: @harrylitman): a former federal prosecutor, columnist for LA Times. His podcast, Talking Feds, includes a rotating group of former federal employees, journalists, and others to talk about current legal issues. His has a patreon too.
·      Barb McQuade (Twitter: @BarbMcQuade): professor of law professor at the University of Michigan, she’s a former federal prosecutor and expert on national security.
·      Dan Rather (Twitter: @DanRather): former news anchor, investigative journalist, and writer.  His has a Substack newsletter called Steady.
·      Heather Cox Richardson (Twitter:  @HC_Richardson): professor of history at Boston College with a Substack newsletter, Letters from an American.   
·      Adam Serwer (Twitter: @AdamSerwer): staff writer for The Atlantic Magazine
·      Zoe Tillman (Twitter: @ZoeTillman): journalist for Buzzfeed News, she is my go-to on courts and justice issues. 
·      Joyce Vance (Twitter: @JoyceWhiteVance): professor law professor at the University of Alabama and a former federal prosecutor.
·      Steve Vladeck (Twitter: @Steve_vladeck): professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosted by me, Professor Diascro (she, her, hers)! Be in touch with questions, concerns, thoughts about college by DM @10mbc_pod on Twitter or email at [email protected].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Art by ORCSAID
Produced and music by Matthew Diascro

Buh-Bye 2020


Hosted by me, Professor Diascro (she, her, hers)! Be in touch with questions, concerns, thoughts about college by DM @10mbc_pod on Twitter or email at [email protected]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Art by ORCSAID
Produced and music by Matthew Diascro

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