When would it be acceptable to ask someone for a letter of recommendation? (see details)?

It's acceptable to ask for a letter of recommendation when you need one. In other words, if you need it for grad school admission, ask. If you just want it for your portfolio, it's probably best not to ask.

The school or the professors might have their own policies. For the professors in my specialty, for instance, we had to make the request in writing, say why we needed the letter and "identify" ourselves, which really meant suggest an accomplishment the prof might cover in the recommendation, like a great paper, proposal or experiment. As a courtesy, you might write something like that and then give it to the prof in person, so he can put a face to the name.

Of course, the better you know the prof the more comprehensive the recommendation, so now might be a good time to do works that sets you apart from the crowd.

Although most professors will not refuse, it does help to give them plenty of time in advance notice before you need your recommendation. It would probably help, though, in terms of quality of the recommendation, if they were familiar with you personally.

It would make more sense (and result in a better, more personalized letter of recommendation) to ask a professor with whom you had at least interacted in a small group setting (as opposed to an enormous lecture-type class). However, as stated above, professors are basically in the business of writing these kinds of letters. I would add, as a personal anecdote, that I had a professor (with whom I actually had a personal relationship and worked with on several projects during undergrad) tell me "No" when I asked for a letter of recommendation for law school.So it's always good to have a backup plan, and, as an above answer recommended, give yourself plenty of time before you need the letter!

It is always acceptable to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation. It helps to have done well in the class, but you don't need to have any sort of personal relationship with him/her to ask for a recommendation. That is part of what they are there for and what you pay them for.

In some contexts, professors are supposed to write letters for anyone who asks them but there's no guarantee that the letter will be good. Grades have very little to do with recommendations because professors are looking at other ways to evaluate a student. If you have actively engaged in your classes with this professor, you went to her/his office hours, and this professor knows your project in relation to which a letter is requested, you can expect a much more appropriate letter than if you rely on grades or "personal" acquaintance.

Having written several letters of recommendation, I think it is always OK to ask. Make sure you have a relationship with the person you are asking. This should be someone like a professor that was you thesis mentor or a supervisor or college you worked closely with.It also helps the person writing the letter if you can provide a summary of what you want to be recommended for and some suggestion of things they might write about.

It depends on what level of education you are at, and what you need a letter of recommendation for. Most professors do actually notice their students and remember their faces, if not the grades that go with them -- this is generally enough for them to write a generic letter of recommendation. Even if they do not know you, many professors will still write a generic letter for you if you explain your situation -- obviously, there are occasionally circumstances where a student is very early on into his/her academic career, and have not taken specialized courses or lab courses (the kind where you generally get to know the instructor personally), and professors know this.

If you are looking for a letter of recommendation to get into a school or organization held in high esteem by professors (Ivy League schools or discipline-related honor societies), you may want to get the professor to know you a bit better before you start asking; this will increase not only the odds of the professor being amenable, but also the odds that the professor will write content of high value into the letter.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.