Is it too soon to ask my professor for a recommendation letter?

[misskayy]

I'm currently taking organic chemistry. I'm doing pretty well in class and I'm determined on keeping it that way. I do everything possible to get good grades. I always ask the professor questions during class. When I take exams, I'm always the last person to finish because I believe that the more time you spend on an exam, the higher the grade you will get. I even meet up with my professor in her office when I have questions.

I'm sure she (my professor) has noticed how dedicated I am and so I wanted to ask her for a recommendation letter at the end of the semester. The reason I want to ask her now is because she said she plans on retiring after this semester.

But I don't plan on applying to nursing school until 2017 (I still have more prerequisites to finish before applying)

Is it too soon to ask? My friend told me that it was too soon and that the nursing school wouldn't see the recommendation letter as credible...

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Yes, it's too soon.

[BeachsideRN, ASN]

First of all, you haven't finished the course yet - you've barely just begun, I doubt the professor would write it at this point anyway. Secondly, yes it is too soon for her to write a recommendation for your nursing application. What you CAN do though is ask her at the end of the semester if she'd be willing to give you her contact information for future recommendations. Just because she is retiring doesn't mean she can't write the letter in 2017. I have had recommendations written from employers/professors that are no longer in the field as character references.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I would ask her at the end of the semester. That way, she can write the letter while she still remembers you. You can keep the letter and include it in your portfolio to submit as needed. She can also keep a copy so that she can refer to it if she is asked for a reference at a later time. I hate it when a student from years previous ask me for recommendations out of the blue. With so many students, it's hard to give a good, detailed recommendation if you are having to dig back in your memory trying to recall a student from 2 or 3 years ago. But if I have a letter on file that was written while I still knew the student, I can use that to provide the detail and "warm glow" that is needed.

However ... while that is probably worth doing, you will probably need to get more current recommendations when you actually go to apply for jobs or further schooling. Most of those recs are online now and need someone to go online now to fill them out. So going back to someone who knew you years ago becomes more difficult.