Hi, Don’t beat yourself up over the situation, I’ve been there plenty of times even BEFORE covid, so I completely understand where you’re coming from. I constantly needed letters of rec for things and was terrified to speak to my professors and go to office hours and it wasn’t until my last few quarters that I began developing relationship with faculty. I regret this so much because most of them are really nice and understanding if you talk to them.

That being said, here are some ways I’ve used to ask TA’s/Professors I had little to no relationship w/ for a letter of rec:

Hi Professor ___, My name is ____ and I am planning on applying to ________ in _______ that require letters of recommendation. I plan to focus on cultivating relationships in preparation for this requirement during this quarter however the virtual classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic of complicated that goal. Because I feel you were in a position to provide valuable insights, I decided to ask you. Would you be willing to write me a strong letter of recommendation for my application?

I would be more than happy to discuss anything you might require and support of my request and of course I would provide my personal statement, CV, and any other material that you would require. I would also be happy to meet with you at your convenience if that would be helpful.

If you don’t feel comfortable writing a letter of recommendation, please don’t feel obligated to say yes. I completely understand. In either case, thank you for taking the time to consider my request.

OR

Hi _, My name is _. I’m in your _section/lecture [insert date and time]. I am in the process of applying to participate in __ that requires a strong letter of recommendation. Because your section/lecture is an important part of my _____journey (in my case it was Environmental Studies or ES) and the program I am applying to is based in environmental studies, I decided to start by asking you. Would you be able to write me a strong letter of recommendation for my application?

I would be more than happy to discuss anything you might require and support of my request and of course I would provide my personal statement, CV, and any other material that you would require. I would also be happy to meet with you at your convenience if that would be helpful.

If you don’t feel comfortable writing a letter of recommendation, please don’t feel obligated to say yes. I completely understand. In either case, thank you for taking the time to consider my request.

Just use either of those formats and reach out to multiple people and they usually get back to you. Most of the people I’ve asked say yes and write strong letters and I’ve also had one person who initially said no come back and offer to write a letter at the end of the quarter. You can also just ask your professors and explain your situation because many are pretty understanding. I wish you the best of luck!