Applying for Master Programs. How to get references?

Hello:





I am thinking about applying for a number of masters degrees. I have noticed on most reference forms that they ask the referee to write a letter about how they know the student, how long, potential, etc etc.





The problem is I do not know my professors well, and would feel bad asking one or two to write multiple letters since I want to apply to more than 1 school. What is the proper etiquette here?Applying for Master Programs. How to get references?
They don't necessarily have to write multiple letters, they often write just one and send it to every school.





What you need to do:





1) Shoot an email to career services at your university. Ask if they have any involvement in recommendation letters. My university would get the letter from the professor and send it out. They would also keep a copy on file in case you wanted to use it later.





While you are waiting for them to get back to you:





2) Look over your past classes. You want to find a professor whose classes you did well in. Don't ask a professor who gave you a B- just because they seem nice. Make a list of professors who gave you an A or an A-, professors who you had for more than 1 class, any professors you worked with outside of class (ie your were a research assistant). and the professors who taught classes in the field you are applying to get a masters in. You should be able to find three people whose classes you did well in who either know you well or are in your field (ideally both).





3) Look at the applications and make a list of how schools want the letters. Is their an online form? Do you send them yourself or does the professor? What are the deadlines? You need to have this all pretty organized before you ask.





By now, you should have heard back from career services. Based on their answer:





4) Write the professors a short email reminding them who you are, explaining your general graduate plans and asking if they feel they can write you a good recco letter. Don't mention specific schools yet. This should be a fairly short email (2-3 paragraphs).





If they say yes,





5) Put together a packet/email with all the relevant info.





You need to get on this asap. Grad program deadlines start Dec 1 and you cannot ask a professor for a letter a week before the deadline. You need to get to step 4 by Monday at the latest.Applying for Master Programs. How to get references?
Kate's answer is entirely correct. I'd just add that as professors we get requests for letters from students we don't know all that well all the time. Don't fret over it, just ask.





Good luck.

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