Letter of Rec

Timing:

• You should request a letter of recommendation from me in advance, at least one month before your application's due date.

• If I agree to write a letter on your behalf, you should provide me the following information and materials at least three weeks before your application's due date.

Please send me a single email answering the following questions (if applicable) and attaching the following materials, or providing links where available.

Information:

1. What is your official full name to be used in the letter (so that I don't use Rob for Robert, Liz for Elizabeth)?

2. Remind me how long I have known you and on what occasion.

3. (For students) What is your year and major? What classes have you taken with me, what grade did you earn, and how did you distinguish yourself in my classes? (If you did not earn a grade you'd like or did not distinguish yourself in any way in my class, you will likely want to ask another person for a recommendation.)

4. What program(s) are you applying for (REU, PhD program, Masters program, teaching job, industry job, fellowship, grant, tenure and promotion) and what is the corresponding due date?

5. For undergraduates applying to special (e.g. summer) programs or fellowships, what are they looking for in the candidates (e.g. students with lots of programming background) and what are the specific letter writer instructions? A link to the program announcement should be sufficient.

6. What would you like me to address? How would you describe yourself? What are your strengths? Important accomplishments? Favorite theorems or papers? What are your extracurricular interests and passions? Anything you can think of that might help me?

7. (For students) What are your long term goals? How will this position/award/program help you attain that goal?

8. Whom should I address the letter to?

9. How should the letter be submitted? Provide necessary postal address and/or website to upload the letter to.

10. If possible, who else is writing letters for you? (So I can provide information which may not otherwise be covered.)

Material: In the same email as above, please send me links to, or attach the following documents if applicable:

1. Your CV/resume.

2. (For students) Your unofficial transcripts.

3. If applicable, all necessary forms needed for the letter writers (please don't count on me to go through each website to determine what forms I need to complete).

4. Preprints or reprints I should pay special attention to.

5. All materials you will submit with your application (e.g. personal essay, statement of interest, research summary or proposal,...)