Thank you!!

Thank you! I really appreciate it!

Thank you for watching! I'll be making a few more videos like this as I get time. Lots of them in the vein of "things I wish I knew before I started grad school."

Thank you!!! I really appreciate it!

Rad!! Thanks for watching!!

I personally appreciate a super clear, direct subject lines. I used to write “request for letter of rec.” as my standard subject line when requesting letters from my advisors/commuter back in the day. That never seemed to offend and got the message across efficiently. Hope that helps. And thank you!

I actually had a short section/comment about this in the video, but I cut it when editing. I've heard stories about this practice, but never experienced it directly. It does happen. I personally wouldn't do it. It would give me anxiety (most things do, tbh). Your professor could envisioning this as kind of exercise where you write out a well crafted letter and therefore have to envision yourself as a candidate for a position. It's not a bad exercise. BUT, it also could just be that your professor doesn't have time or want to write a letter. If I were in your position, I'd find it really hard to write my own letter. I'm wishing you the best of luck. Sounds like you've planned far in advance, so that's great.

If you haven't I'd watch through the whole video. I'd then, draft out a short, but clear email. Have a friend or family member read that email. You should edit it down until it provides the necessary information in the fewest amount of words. Ask for a letter of rec. Remind the faculty member who you are, how they know you, what you're applying to, what are your goals. It's intimidating and anxiety-inducing, but once you do it, it gets easier.