A tale of two students: Advice about endorsements and letters of recommendation

“You’ll never know when you might need a letter of recommendation or other endorsement”, I used to say at the close of the final class session in my face-to-face college classes. ?“So, heed my advice”, I continued, “select a few of your professors, perhaps I might be one of them, and make it a habit to stay in touch over time, so when you do need that letter or that endorsement down the road, the professor will remember you and be more inclined to help out”.? ?

I also suggested that students might wish to select a faculty member who could serve as a role model due to some similarity such as gender, culture or ethnicity, who had worked in their field of interest, or who impacted their lives in some significant way.

Now providing these kinds of letters and endorsements is a unique aspect of the job of college professor. It’s unpaid work on the one hand, taking time away from other responsibilities or the personal life of an academic.?On the other hand, it’s a wonderful reminder that in this job more than many, an academic has the opportunity to affect a student’s life far beyond and after the classroom experience has ended.?

Recently, I have received a number of such requests, and the stories of two of them are instructive for those who think they may need a letter of recommendation or other endorsement in the future after they exit the university.?

One student emailed me over a weekend with an eleventh-hour request for a recommendation letter which they stated needed to be completed ASAP.? They reminded me that they took a class with me about five years ago, that they were an exemplary student, and that I was one of their favorite professors. Sadly, for them, I replied that I did not remember them and could not in good conscience honor this last-minute request.

The other student had a very different story as they followed my advice to the letter. I did not know why this woman selected me about ten years ago at the close of an MBA class I was teaching to stay in touch as I had recommended. Certainly, I met none of the surface-level role model criteria that I suggested would be a good basis for my selection. Yet, over the years this woman never let go of the relationship, emailing, sending an occasional photo with her husband and kids, sharing some tidbit about her career.

From my experience prior to teaching college as a corporate executive leading a team of diverse individuals, I learned how to unlock the potential that often a person didn’t even know that they themselves had to offer professionally. So, I already knew this woman was a “rock star”.? Thus, over the years, when l found out about a career transition challenge this woman faced, I was pleased to recommend her to teach a university-level class as a way to help. She has now blossomed into an integral part of this school, recently using her Spanish language skills to develop a partnership with a university in Mexico.

When a request for a letter of recommendation came to me from this woman a short time ago, it was my very great honor to write and submit it.

That’s the tale of two students which hopefully both the academics and the students reading this will find instructive. For students, remember to select a few professors and make it a habit to stay in touch with them, as someday this relationship may indeed bear fruit. For us faculty who receive letter of recommendation requests, yes, it is an interruption, and it does take time and effort to compose, print, sign, scan and send such a letter. But these types of entreaties for your help serve as a powerful reminder that the impact of what us teachers do has the potential to influence a student’s life far beyond the classroom.