Hereare your possible outcomes to help you decide: - You ask, and prof says sure, you get a better grade. - You ask, prof is mildly annoyed, and says no, you keep the same grade. - You don't ask, you keep the same grade. There's only one way to even have a chance at a better grade here. If you'd like, you can say something like, "Hi, sorry to AskNicely. Once you've made your wish list, call each of these people (or see them in person if you can) to ask if they're willing to serve as a reference. Email only if you must—it's much less personal, and also less immediate. If it's been a while since you've spoken to a prospective reference, briefly remind him or her of who Thesteps for asking someone to be a reference include: 1. Choose your references wisely. When considering who to ask to be a reference, choose professional candidates who can positively confirm your work ethic while also providing your future employer with the general scope of your employment history. This person should be able to confidently Thatmakes me sad :( I think you should ask a separate question à la "How should I react when my employer asks me to do something I suspect is illegal?", especially mentioning that they are aware of that fact - basically they attempt to make you commit a felony which you might ultimately end up being convicted while your employer would claim not having been aware of your "suspicious behaviour" Givepeople at least a week to get back to you before sending a reminder. Keep your request clear and direct. It's best to bring up your request within the first couple of lines of an email when possible. Maintain an appreciative tone in your email. To encourage a response, offer help or an out for the recipient. You Thanks! I'm looking forward to the next project, but I'd like to talk to you about a bonus for the hours I contributed. Boss: The next project will be great. Send me an email and we'll set up a meeting to discuss a bonus. You: Thank you, I'll send you an email to arrange one. 9 Be polite, personable, and understanding. You've already stated you don't think that it was intentional, and that you weren't inconvenienced. A good example of what you could say might be: "Hello {person}, Thanks for sending me the {file} I requested. Moveon if you still don't hear from them. Ignoring you is very unprofessional. Meanwhile, keep yourself busy by looking for other jobs as well. Keep your options open; don't pin all your hopes on one company. If you end up receiving multiple offers, your negotiating power will improve. gJBbZ.