I'm in a bit of a bind. Applications for grad school begin in 7 months and I have no close connections to any of my professors (past or present). How do I secure some letters of reference at this stage? I transferred to Mac and have really only been here for a year and a half.

I've been to almost all of my profs' office hours (past and present) at least once. I really don't think the 'asking a question about the course' technique works - it just comes across like you want help. My idea was to go to office hours and bluntly say something like "Let me be honest - I intend to apply to grad school and need a reference letter from you in 7 months. How can I make this happen?" Is that too direct? Does anyone have any advice? A tiny bit about me - 10+ average, between 3rd and 4th year econ (due to transfer).

tl;dr: Good advice for securing a reference letter when you don't know your professors?

Some profs will appreciate the honesty, lets say when you start a course in September approach 1 of your profs and tell them my goal is to obtain a reference letter from you in the next (4-5 months) what would you expect from me? This way you show you show your determined and it will encourage you to do good in the course at the same time.

I was in the same boat, into the end of my 3rd year and barely had anyone to ask. But I went to prof's office hours and had legitimate questions and concerns (some made up of course!) This showed them that I was making that extra effort. So for me I had to be a bit shameless and put myself out there.. your starting at a good time to ask though!

So what you have written is good, tell profs in advance what you would like, be direct and make connections. Sometimes its good to get reference letters through internships etc which relate back to your education, just an idea for the summer Hope this helps!

I applied to grad school out of econ as well (waiting on admissions sucks, but that's another rant).

Initially my references were going to be my 3F03 prof and my 4A03 prof. Since those classes are much smaller, profs get to know you a whole lot better and are generally willing to help if you participate, etc.

I ended up asking a prof I'd taken a 3rd year course with to take me on as a student for 4N03 -- Directed Research. I was interested in his research and he was willing to teach me one on one for the term, so he was able to write an excellent letter regarding my suitability for grad school. At the end of the day, my references ended up being a much stronger part of my application than my grades were (and my grades were pretty good). It was a great experience, excellent prep for grad school and I can't recommend it enough.

I'd recommend taking some smaller classes where you'll have more interaction with your profs. 3Q03 and 3WW3 both offered this. In addition, seek out classes taught by profs who teach at the grad level at Mac (Veall, Sweetman, Spencer, DeCicca, Payne, Grignon, Scarth, et al)... they seem to be more attuned to the fact that upper year students are always looking for references.

One of my references for grad school was a prof I only knew for one month in a summer seminar course. It was a very strong letter and I received early admission. Were you close with any profs at your previous institution? Don't ask any random prof who barely knows you to write a generic letter. It will not help you in any way. I would take a small seminar class this summer, work very hard, get to know your prof, have your prof get to know you, etc.