FAQ: Can you write me a recommendation letter?
Yes, but...
Writing a letter of recommendation is time-consuming. Because non-truthful or vague letters damage the recommender’s reputation and ultimately the chances of future students to get into graduate programs, I take this process seriously and I established a protocol for this.
The conditions under which I write letters of recommendation for graduate programs are the following:
The student ranks in top 10% of the class they took with me. This should be taken seriously but not strictly: I recently wrote a letter to a student who was not in the 10% of my class but showed exceptional performance in the program as a whole. She got into a great program and I'm happy when this happens.
Conditional on 1) holding true, I ask to meet (or video conference) with the student and discuss their career aspirations, strengths/weaknesses so that I can write a proper informed letter.
Before I accept to write a recommendation I need to receive the following upon request:
a. updated CV
b. transcripts
After I accept to write a letter, when the time comes:
c. a list of schools with deadlines
d. a reminder email a couple of days before each deadline
e. 3 paragraphs in which you describe your profile, your aspirations (education and profession), and how long I have known you and in which capacity.
4. I NEVER send letters to students, but I allow students to list me as a reference and then the school will request the letter to me directly.
If a student does not meet 1), I generally recommend that they identify a more suitable letter- writer, as they will need someone who can write a really strong letter, so to maximize the chances of being admitted to the program. If a student insists, I will write a letter but it may not be strong.