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Letters of Recommendation

Most programs will require a submission of academic letters of recommendation. Recommendation letters are documents that tell the reader about the unique strengths and assts you have to offer the school. A recommendation is only beneficial if it is very positive. A poor or average recommendation does not help and can even hinder your chances of entering the program.

It’s important to provide the recommender with enough time to write a positive, personal recommendation. The earlier you ask, the more time you will give the recommender to write a stellar letter. It is customeary to give a minimum of three to four weeks notice depending on how busy the recommender is. In addition to providing sufficient time for the recommenders to complete your recommendation, it is your responsibility to provide them with some additional information to strengthen your recommendation.

What to give your recommenders:

• Your Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Colleges/universities attended
• Majors
• GPA
• Professional, volunteer, internship and research experience
• Projects you have worked on
• Presentations you have given
• Awards and/or scholarship information
• Career/future goals
• Memberships/professional affiliations
• Hobbies/extracurricular activities
• The type of graduate school/continuing education program you are looking for
• Papers/projects graded by the recommender

Persistence and Follow-Up

You may need to be persistent with your letter writers; remember that they are very busy and will typically have more than one letter to write. After someone has written a letter of recommendation in support of you, make a point of calling or sending an e-mail or a letter to thank him or her for writing the letter.

For more details on recommendation letters, here are some additional resources:

• The Career Center's Recommendations Handout (pdf)
• You can also visit The Riley Guide online for more details