5/14/18
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Letter of Recommendation:
You must satisfy the following requirements. If you do not, do not waste your time or my time:
1) You must have taken at least one class from me. The more classes, the better.
2) That class must be completed and your grade must be recorded.
3) You must have received at least an 85% overall. If you received less than an 85%, I would seriously not ask me.
4) You must submit a resume or equivalent telling me something about what it is you want from your education, why - and why you and not someone else. Subjects you did well and enjoyed the most and subjects you didn't enjoy and may not have done well in the class. You must include your social security number or other identifying number that the applying school knows you by. Also, the semester and class you took my class, while at Pierce.
5) You must give me the names and addresses of the schools - I do not give you the letters. I will mail them to the addresses you provide or websites to upload.
6) You must request the letter within a reasonable time from due date. Do not bother asking me a few days or a week before they are due. I am no faster than the average student and it will take me at least fourteen days to write a letter and if you ask at inopportune times: Christmas or during Finals ... it will be a much longer wait. Don't apologize for asking so late, rather, please don't ask late. I am not able to write any letter sooner than one month. I understand this is difficult for you to believe but I have 1000 more important things to do, every day, than write a letter. I will fit a letter in, during my 3-4 hours a week that are free, when those hours are not used to go to the doctor, dentist, see friends, go shopping, play with my kids ...
7) Do not request or expect a copy of the letter before they have been sent. You will sign the confidentiality form required by most colleges and that ends that. If you do not believe the letter will be sufficient, do not ask. You do not get to request a letter and then opt against using the letter. It is what it is.
- December, the last two weeks of May, the first week of June, and any weeks I may be away on vacation are out as months to request letters from me.
If you can satisfy and do satisfy the above listed requirements, by all means speak to me. However, have everything ready when you do speak to me.
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Do not ask me for a letter if you were often late to class, missed more than a couple classes, or disrupted class. It is unreasonable to expect much from such a letter, and I would rather not be asked.
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I have had students go on to UCLA, UC Berkeley, University of Oregon, NYU, Columbia, New School, Texas A&M University, University of Chicago, and Harvard. Also graduates have gone on to various law schools - Boalt, Harvard, Loyola, UCLA, and Columbia among others. Some students are very qualified.
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I am willing to write letters, but I cannot write letters if you absolutely need them in 1 week. I am sorry you just realized it or that no one else can, but I cannot unless you provide me with the above requested material, and enough time to find the time to do the letter. It may be important for you, but be respectful enough and give me time. If so, this will be done.