Recommendations

• Guidelines for Obtaining References
• Staying on Top of the Process
  

Guidelines for Obtaining References

Though we cannot speak for all your potential recommenders, we would ask you to observe the following points as much as possible if you ask a faculty member to write an effective recommendation.

Remember, faculty members want to help you, but they also need your help to make their letters as specific and useful as possible. If you follow the guidelines below, we believe you can help them best. When you ask a faculty member for a letter of recommendation, we advise that you provide:

1. The deadlines that your recommender should be aware of
2. A copy of your transcript (it can be a photocopy)
3. Your resume
4. A statement about what specifically you are applying for, and why. (You might give your recommender a copy of the statement you've written for your application.)
5. The grade you received in her/his course(s)
6. Your phone number, email address, and post office box (if these are not on your resume)
7. Instructions about where the recommender is to send the letter of recommendation (e.g., to you, to the institution, or to a third party such as your dean).
8. Stamped and addressed envelopes (unless the recommendation is being sent to your college dean's office)

You might also inquire if the writer would like copies of any papers you may have written in his/her courses.

Note:
It is a courtesy gesture to your recommender that you speak with him/her beforehand about writing a letter for you. Do not presume, either, that a faculty member will write on your behalf. Letters of recommendation are submitted strictly on a voluntary basis; no one is obliged to write them. A faculty member, therefore, may decline to write if he or she so chooses.

When all is done, remember to thank them for their assistance, and be certain to let them know the outcomes of your applications.

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Staying on Top of the Process

In general, professors are pleased to write on your behalf. They want to help you. They are, however, usually involved in numerous activities and so the priority of your recommendations can sometimes fall to secondary status as more urgent projects arise. It is, therefore, important to find ways to approach your professors to remind them of deadlines, or to inquire when the letter might be ready. Remember, professors do not have to write letters of recommendation on your behalf, but if they agree, then they make a commitment to you. They want to write, but may need some timely coaxing. It's important, then, that YOU -- not your professors -- manage your graduate school application. Take nothing for granted.

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