Letter of Recommendation
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should I ask to write my letters?
Ask those who will provide you with the strongest recommendations! A few things to consider before requesting a letter from an instructor:
How well did you perform in their class? Consider not only your letter grade, but also your class rank. Why is this important? Because schools ask letter writers to rank applicants relative to their peers. Click here for a sample of what this grid typically looks like.
Example: If you ranked at the 82nd percentile in my class, then the majority of my check marks will fall in the middle column (top 20%) of the above grid, which isn't likely to help your application and could actually hurt your chances at top schools. If you ranked at the 70th percentile, the majority of my check marks will fall in the middle column, which is even less likely to be beneficial to your application. (If you're unsure where you ranked in one of my classes, feel free to ask!)
How well does the instructor know you? Were you an active participant in class discussions? Did you drop by office hours with well thought out questions regarding the course material? Ideally, your letters should come from individuals who know you well and can provide a detailed assessment regarding your potential for graduate studies.
Example: Click here for a sample from one program giving suggestions on what should be in the letter. If we barely know one another, it's unlikely I'm going to be able to provide convincing answers to these questions.
Does the potential letter writer think you've applying to programs that are appropriate given your background? Programs often ask references to rate whether you're a good match for their program. If you're unsure what they think, it's not a bad idea to ask them! On the one hand, they may have useful feedback. But also, if they're skeptical or unsure about your preparation for a program, then it's important for you to know, as they're unlikely to write a convincing letter on your behalf.
Where possible, it's wise to pick a letter writer who taught you a subject pertinent to your proposed area of study. In my opinion, however, this is a secondary concern, and certainly less important than the three criteria discussed above.
Would you write a letter for me?
The short answer is that, given sufficient notice, I'm game to write a letter for any current or former student — but the quality of the letter will depend on the factors discussed above.
What materials should I send you?
The materials I ask for are:
- Your transcripts (an informal printout is fine)
- An invitation from each program to which you'll be applying (see next section)
When will you submit my letters?
I set aside time to submit letters of recommendation each and every Friday. Given this, if you would like a letter to be submitted by a certain date, you must ensure that the program sends me an invitation by the Thursday before that deadline. If you send me an invitation on Friday, you should expect that letter to go out the following Friday.
Anything else I need to know?
If you ask me to submit references on your behalf, I do have a few ground rules that you should keep in mind throughout the process:
- I insist on confidentiality for all letters of recommendation, so I won't submit a letter if an invitation informs me that you've reserved your right to view my letter. Similarly, I won't send you a copy of your letter to submit to a school — instead we would make arrangements for me to submit the letter directly to the school.
- Do not bring me any gifts. If you wish, after your applications are complete, you may send a thank you note -- but please don't feel under any obligation to do so!
- Most importantly, in order to keep the process as efficient as possible, do not contact me to remind me of an upcoming deadline and/or to ask whether I've received an invitation unless you believe a Friday has passed since the invitation was sent to me. (If a Friday has passed and you're concerned a letter didn't get submitted, then don't hesitate to check in — we can confirm that the invitation was received and that it didn't end up in my spam folder.