Re: Requesting Specific Information from a Professor in a LOR

[nathanielmark]

i was thinking of doing this myself.  i was just going to say "because i need to do this, anything you can say in this regard would be particularly helpful" or something to that effect.

[Trancer]

thats not a bad idea... i would feel so uncomfortable asking for them to write particular information but i might say something along the lines of, "would you consider me as someone with <enter description>" and if they answer in the affirmative then i would ask them if they could include that in the reco.

[dta]

What Greeen is talking about would be perfetly appropriate. But if you get too specific I think you begin to enter the rude zone and will tick the recommender off. For example "do you consider me one of the 2 best students you've ever had? If so, i'd like you to put that in the LOR". That's bound to ruffle the professor's feathers, even if he/she DID think you were one of his/her top 2 students. Better would be "if you feel my strengths lie in my comparison with other students you have had, please do mention it in the LOR".

[swifty]

The professor I am going to ask knows me as a sort of a troublemaker, but in a good sense.  I would like him to write on the LOR that "swifty always challended almost every theory (econ) I put before him.  He would never just take a book, or a professor's word for it.  He wanted it explained, and on many occasions, his questions led to some real great discussions in the classroom, and he managed to get the class involved during every class; something I cannot do alone as a professor."

Does that sound any good to you guys?  Of course he will elaborate on other things, such as my
incredible brain, and my astonidhing good looks. J/K about the last two. 

[gooooooo]

The professor I am going to ask knows me as a sort of a troublemaker, but in a good sense.  I would like him to write on the LOR that "swifty always challended almost every theory (econ) I put before him.  He would never just take a book, or a professor's word for it.  He wanted it explained, and on many occasions, his questions led to some real great discussions in the classroom, and he managed to get the class involved during every class; something I cannot do alone as a professor."

So you are THAT guy?  So glad I wasn't in that class. 

[swifty]

That's too funny.  when i was young, i hated people like me too! 
Honestly, at the age of 40, i found this annoying behavior the only way to keep me awake in class.  I was your basic *&^% stirrer, but with respect to the professor.