Requesting Letter of Recommendation

Updated ⋅ 1565 words ⋅ 8 min read
Information for requesting a letter of recommendation from me

If you’re seeing this page, I probably shared it because you asked (or are thinking of asking) me for a letter of recommendation.

I’m glad to help when I can. Strong letters take time and context. To make sure I can support you effectively, please consider the points below:

If we’ve already talked about this, you can probably jump straight to the part you need:

  1. Before You Reach Out: If you are deciding whether to ask me, start with whether I am the right person to write the letter.
  2. Asking Me: If you are asking for the first time, send the short initial email described there.
  3. After I Agree: If I already agreed, send the materials and LOR blocks I need to write a specific letter.
  4. Letter Writing and Follow-up: If the deadline is getting close or something changed, see the reminder and update guidance.

1. Before You Reach Out #

Make sure I am a good fit to write a letter:

  • Did we actually work together? I can write a good letter only if I’ve seen you do work, like in a class you took with me, a project we worked on, or something similar.
  • Am I the best person to ask? If another professor or supervisor knows your work better or more recently, they might be a better choice for this specific application.
  • Will I likely agree? I generally try to avoid writing letters for students I haven’t interacted with directly, or for requests made with very short notice. Two to four weeks is much better; less than one week may make a strong letter impossible.

It also helps to be clear about what kind of letter the application actually needs:

  • Do you need a strong letter? If a form asks whether I can write a strong or detailed letter, the answer depends on whether I have enough direct evidence from our work together. I cannot invent details I have not seen, compare you to students I do not know well enough to compare, or write a meaningfully specific letter based only on a grade in a large class.
  • Do you need a general letter? Some applications, like some industry-focused master’s programs or summer internships, need multiple letters and mainly ask someone to confirm that you did solid work in a class. I am happy to write these more general letters when appropriate.
  • Do you need any letter? This is common for junior students who may need to ask class professors or similar contacts because they have not yet worked closely with many people. If the application mainly needs a basic academic reference, I am happy to provide that kind of letter when appropriate, even if I cannot write a very detailed letter yet.

2. Asking Me #

Email:
dwermke@ncsu.edu

Send me a brief email message with enough context for me to decide whether I can write a strong letter.

  • Context: If I do not know you well or we have not interacted recently, remind me how we know each other (e.g., “I was in your Fall 2024 Security class”).
  • Application: Tell me what you’re applying for (e.g., “PhD and Master programs in Computer Science”, “AI internships”).
  • Timeline: Tell me the rough timeline and first deadline (e.g., “I plan on applying to 3 programs, with deadlines in December and January”).
  • Letter number: Tell me the total number of letters you’re hoping I can write. If you are asking for more than about five letters, definitely mention that and use the LOR-block format below.

Conventions #

These are not meant to make the request formal; they help avoid scheduling and disclosure problems.

  • Wait for confirmation: Please wait for me to confirm before listing me as a reference or entering my name into any system. It’s considered poor etiquette to assume someone will write for you without checking first and it can create issues with scheduling.
  • Letter-viewing waiver: Recommendation forms often ask whether you waive your right to view the letter. This is your choice, and I can still write a letter if you do not waive that right. In my experience, though, many US academic committees are used to confidential letters and may wonder why a letter is not confidential.
  • FERPA waiver: If you want me to mention specific grades or performance details in my classes, I may need to ask you to sign a FERPA waiver to allow that level of disclosure.

3. After I Agree #

Email:
dwermke@ncsu.edu

Once I confirm that I can write for you, the following materials help me write a stronger letter. Ideally, send them at least one week before the first deadline:

  • CV or resume: Send your current CV or resume.
  • Application materials: Send other documents that help me align the tone and focus of the letter with the rest of your application (e.g., statement of purpose, cover letter, or research proposal).

All my letters are generally submitted on institutional letterhead and follow a standard academic format unless otherwise specified by the program.

LOR Blocks #

The LOR blocks below are not required, but they help me write stronger letters, especially if you are asking for many letters or applying to programs with different goals. These are just short text blocks you can include in an email; no separate file is needed. You can send these later, and they do not all need to be in one email. For example, if you apply to another program a month later, just send another block then.

For each university, program, internship, fellowship, or position, you can send one LOR block with:

  1. LOR for. Name the university, school, and broad program or position. This helps me identify the letter and avoid mixing up similarly named programs.
  2. Deadline. Give the deadline date. Include time only if the system lists one and the time is unusual (e.g., 8am). This helps me prioritize letters and avoid deadline mistakes.
  3. Submission. Most systems will email me a request or portal link. Only note this if the submission process is different or there is something unusual I should know. This helps me watch for the right request or use the correct nonstandard submission path.
  4. Specific target. Say which track, concentration, project, role, or kind of work you are aiming for. This helps me avoid a generic letter and describe your fit for the specific opportunity.
  5. Application emphasis. Tell me which themes, projects, faculty, groups, or prior contacts you mention in your own materials. This helps me align the letter with your statement without simply repeating it.
  6. What you hope to get out of it. Tell me how this opportunity helps you grow or contribute. This helps me write lines like: “X is particularly excited about Y” or “By working with Z, X hopes to develop A and contribute to B.”
  7. What I should emphasize. Tell me what parts of your work with me are most relevant. This helps me decide whether to focus on independent work, technical depth, writing, collaboration, persistence, or another strength.

Copyable LOR Block #

You can copy the following text directly into your email and fill in the parts that apply:

11. **LOR for:** [University / school / program / position]
22. **Deadline:** [Date; include time only if listed and unusual]
33. **Submission:** [Only include if not a standard automated email/portal request]
44. **Specific target:** I am especially interested in the X track/project/role.
55. **Application emphasis:** In my statement/cover letter, I emphasize X and mention Y.
66. **What I hope to get out of it:** By working with X, I hope to learn Y and contribute to Z.
77. **Please emphasize:** My work on X. For this opportunity, Y is more relevant than Z.

For example:

  1. LOR for: Example University, School of Computing, PhD in Computer Science.

  2. Deadline: December 15, 2026, 11:59pm Eastern.

  3. Submission: Please email the letter to admissions@example.edu.

  4. Specific target: I am especially interested in the Human-Centered Computing track and research on usable security for high-risk users.

  5. Application emphasis: In my statement, I emphasize empirical security research and mention Prof. Y as a faculty interest.

  6. What I hope to get out of it: Strengthen my interview and study-design skills and contribute to safer account-recovery tools.

  7. Please emphasize: This program seems to value independent research. Please emphasize how I scoped my course project, followed through without much structure, and responded to feedback.

4. Letter Writing and Follow-up #

  • One-week reminder: If you haven’t heard from me a week before a deadline, feel free to send a reminder.
  • 48-hour reminder: If the system still shows the letter as missing 48 hours before the deadline, another short reminder is fine.
  • Changes: If anything changes (new deadlines, added programs, dropped applications), please let me know so I can adjust accordingly.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Following these steps helps me write the strongest letter I can for you.