Letters of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation
If you would like me to write you a letter of recommendation, please first check with me whether I am an appropriate person to write you a strong, well-informed letter, and whether I will have adequate time. Note that I will need at least two weeks to write most letters, and for graduate school applications I typically need to be prepared by December 15.
If I have agreed to write you a letter of recommendation, the following information will help me write the best letter I can.
Your name and year.
How long I have known you (years/months) and my relationship(s) to you (i.e., advisor, instructor, etc.)
All the ways in which you have worked with me (i.e., all courses, research projects, advising, grader, TA, etc.)
What you are applying to (i.e., graduate school, job, scholarship, etc.)
The name of each program, scholarship, or type of job that you are applying to, together with the earliest deadline and method of submission for my letter (i.e., emailed prompt, email address, etc.).
Why are you applying to these particular programs? What makes you particularly suited for these programs?
Why am I a good person to write you a letter? What do I in particular know about you that would help support your application?
What are your long term goals?
Any accomplishments, academic or nonacademic that may be of interest (i.e., awards, achievements, interesting projects, community outreach, athletics, etc.)
Any useful supporting material you have available (i.e., unofficial transcript, personal statement, cv or resume, etc.)