Being enrolled in class, and even getting a good grade, is not enough to get a good letter of recommendation. Schools want letters from professors who know students well, and who have a lot to say about them.
A letter that simply says “This student was in my class and got an A” is a bad letter. In fact, the school might assume that the professor actually does not think this student is a good candidate, and is saying the bare minimum in order to be polite – why else would they say so little?
So what can you do to earn good letters of recommendation?
Part 1: The Big Things
There are some things you must do to even be considered for a letter of recommendation. After this section, we’ll talk about the little things you can do to really make your professors excited to recommend you and that can help build your network and get you jobs – but lets start with the baseline.
- Treat your professors and classmates with respect
- I would consider recommending a student who was not at the top of their class, but who worked hard and showed signs of improvement. Especially if they were responsible, respectful, and made the classroom a better place to be (and I have in fact written such letters). I would never recommend a student who treated me, my colleagues, or their classmates poorly, even if they got an A+.
- In another section, we’ll talk about some things that students might not even realize are harming their relationships with professors, but for now, ask yourself whether you are showing up every day with a good attitude, taking responsibility for your own learning and performance (not blaming others!) and treating everyone the way you would like to be treated?
- Do well in class.
- Law school is an academic environment – and a very tough one. I can’t recommend a student for it unless I’m confident they can do strong academic work. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to get an A (although some professors might require that) but I do need to see that you can handle tough, complex material.
- I surveyed some other pre-law faculty, and no professors were willing to recommend a student unless they earned at least a B- in the class (and only 1 professor was willing to write for those students, and only in some circumstances). Most professors said they require a minimum grade of B or B+, and only if the student demonstrated that they could probably do A level work in the future.
- Do the work!
- Law school requires hundreds of pages of reading every day of class. Readings that are much more complex and harder to digest than any readings in undergrad. And that’s just the start. Most attorneys work a minimum of 50 hours per week, and many work much more – spending much of their time in reading and complex legal research. For anyone who goes on to be a lawyer, college is the easiest and least stressful time they’ll have before retirement. If you cannot handle the workload of a college class, and show your professors you can handle it, you are not a candidate for a strong letter of recommendation.
- Doing the work means reading all of the assigned readings until you understand them, it means showing up to every or almost every class meeting (on time! 5 minutes late is still late), completing your assignments (again, on time!) and not complaining about the workload. Recommending a student for law school is basically impossible if the student shows they can’t work hard and be responsible in an undergraduate class.
- Ask yourself: Do you want a lawyer who just skimmed the case law? OR ChatGPT’d the legal brief that might determine whether you go to jail for life? Or whether you get custody of your children? Lawyers are expected to do the work. Start now.
- Take multiple classes with the same professor, participate in class, and take classes in person!
- If I’ve only known you in one class, I probably don’t know much about you. I might have a general idea that you seem like a good student, but not much more. Especially if that class is not heavily discussion based, I might not know you personally beyond a score on exam, and that’s not enough. You really want at least 1-2 letter writers who know you very well and can talk about your abilities in more than 1 context. If I’ve seen a student in 2 or 3 classes, I have a lot more to say and can write a much stronger letter. This is especially true in classes that are impersonal. For example, classes with a large number of students, or classes that are entirely lecture based, or classes that are administered online (see the next bullet point). When you’re in class speak up! how else can I get to know you and your abilities unless I hear from you?
- It is very, very difficult to make an impression on a professor in an online class. In an asynchronous class, it is nearly impossible to have enough information about a student to write a good letter of recommendation. Remember, schools want to see your professors know you well – that doesn’t happen easily in online classes.
- I’ve taught several hundred students in online classes. I have written one letter of recommendation for an online student. Not because all of the other students in those classes were poor students, but simply because I didn’t know them well enough to write them a letter that would do them any good. That one student who did earn a letter went above and beyond – going to office hours in person, showing up to events where I was present, asking questions in person and via email about the law and the material.
- If you absolutely must take online classes, what can you do?
- Prefer synchronous classes where you meet via zoom. And have your camera on! How can I write a letter for you if I don’t even know you beyond a name on a black box on Zoom?
- Attend office hours. In-person if possible. Make an impression, make sure your professors know you.
Part 2 – Little things that will get you great letters!
[coming soon!]