Letters of Recommendation

Planning to request a letter of recommendation soon?  Submit this form to be added to the queue.

Letters of recommendation are more than just "letters" saying that the student did a good job.  Many institutions send the letter writing professor an additional survey to complete in addition to any narrative written in a letter.  For a letter to strongly support the student, the professor needs much more information to share other than grades.  The admissions/interviewing committees reading these letters are looking for not just a student, but someone that will one day be a colleague.  They commonly ask letter writers to specifically comment on traits you would want to find in someone that you are working with in a group project or a lab partner.  Such traits include, reliability, intellectual potential, teamwork, collegiality, reactions to set-backs, adaptability, professionalism, academic honesty, work ethic, etc.  Note that not all employers or professors will agree to write letters for various reasons (personal life at the moment, too many letters in their queue, availability at the time of request), so it is best to be mentally prepared for a few back-up references.

Tips for obtaining a strong letter of recommendation (from any professor):

• Read the AAMC guidelines for letter writers. I structure my letters based on these prompts.  Other institutions ask for similar bullet points.  

• In your current and future classes, find ways to let those aspects of your personality shine through during your regularly scheduled class activities.  This is where it is important to be your best professional true self.  Some examples include, helping a struggling fellow student, taking pride in your work, trouble shooting set-backs, etc.  

• An online letter is going to most likely be weaker than a letter from a face-to-face course.  Your letter writer is usually asked to comment on traits that are only observable in person, so your letter from an online course will be disadvantaged compared to an in-person class.  If you do anticipate requesting a letter from a professor of an online course, it is even more important that you try to connect with the professor and classmates.  This can be done in simple ways, such as turning on the camera during zooms, adding supportive, interactive comments or asking questions in the chat field, attending live office hours, using discussion board features (to interact/help/share/seek help, etc.), jumping at the chance to be collaborative in group projects or partner work.  Think of all of those interactions as data points for the professor to use as talking points in your letter of recommendation.

• If your letter has a flexible due date, plan ahead and request the letter during a less stressful time for the professor.  If you want the professor to put a lot of effort into your letter, it would be wise to give the professor the range of acceptable due dates and ask them for the best time.  For example, I will not submit any letters in the first 2 weeks or last month of a semester.    I'm just too busy with current students.  

• Make sure to waive your right to view the letter.  A letter that is confidential is much more credible.  If you don't check that box, your professor may reject your request, and it may give the admissions committee a negative impression.

• Reminders!  It does not bug the professor, it is just the opposite; they appreciate them!  I suggest more than one.  If you requested the letter far in advance, send a 2 week reminder, then again 2 days before the due date if you notice it still is not submitted.

• Note: filling out this form is not a request for a letter. You will need to follow up with an email to give more information.

Common Pitfalls:

• Submitting the professor's contact information as a reference without asking the professor.   You need to ask for a letter personally from the professor before submitting them as a reference.  I plan my calendar around my letter writing queue with an agreed upon submission date.  Additionally, requests for letters of recommendation are often either filtered as spam or are actually spam/phishing emails, so are ignored intentionally unless a student has given me the heads up.

• Using office hours to plead a case for a strong letter - office hours are full of students trying to keep up with the material. Not the best time to discuss a letter.  An email request is best so the professor can digest it all on their own time.  If you are currently enrolled in the class, just ask right after class or during downtime.  A mental heads up is a good start, but if the professor is like me, I need to do planning on my end by requesting my own form as the next step.

• Not asking far enough in advance (1-2 months advance notice is best, less than 2 weeks has a higher probability of either being turned down). If you are desperate, it does not hurt to ask, so reach out. A hastily written letter is better than no letter.

• Asking for a letter during the middle of  summer is great, but only if the request was sent during the academic term so the professor can submit it before/after a trip. Summer is a popular travel time, and professors will not physically be able to submit the letter if you don't account for this.  Also, busy times of the  of the academic year are tricky.  For the first and last 2 weeks of classes,  a professor will not have time to think about writing a letter.  

• Avoid late professor submissions by filling out everything on the form possible as soon as the professor accepts the request.  Don't leave it up to the professor to fill out your full proper name, campus address, etc..  In fact, your odds of a timely letter will increase if you even extend the courtesy of filling out the professor contact information section.   Include the professor's name, campus address, etc. You can often find all of that info in their email signature line.  It is faster for them to correct any errors than to start from scratch.   The reality of it is that professors know that letters are important, but have many other looming deadlines affecting their current classes, so letters that are overwhelming to write because not enough information was supplied to get them there is a recipe for a late letter.