Recommendation Letter Playbook for U.S. Grad School

A good LoR request isn't a favor — it's a tightly packed briefing that lets the professor write fast.

1. Who to ask

Direct advisor/PI > research project professor > A+/seminar professor > senior at work (to back academic fit). Keep at least one academic letter if you can.

2. What to include in the request email

Target school list with deadlines, your CV, SOP draft, project summary, three strengths to highlight. Make it so the professor can write a strong letter in under an hour.

3. Timeline

D-60: first ask. D-30: send the packet. D-14: first nudge. D-7: final nudge with per-school submission links. PassPort's LoR Manager automates the whole loop.

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