10 Tips for Recommenders
1.Review a copy of the applicant''s personal statement or application essays so that your letter of recommendation can dovetail with--not conflict with or duplicate--the rest of the application.
2.Ask the applicant to supply you with additional information like a resume.
3.Describe your qualifications for comparing the applicant to other applicants.
I have been teaching for twenty years and have advised approximately 450 students on independent research projects over the last five years.
I have personally supervised ten interns every summer for the last five years plus worked with over two hundred college graduates in my capacity as trainer for Big Bank Corp.
4.Discuss how well you know the applicant.
I was able to get to know Mr. Doe because he made it a point to attend two of my sections every week when only one was required.
Ms. Smith reported directly to me for two years prior to her well-deserved promotion to the position of Assistant Campaign Manager
5.Choose two to three qualities that you observed in the applicant.
Jane has a rare blend of top writing and interpersonal skills.
The combination of tenacity, analytical abilities, and good communications skills found in Mr. Doe is truly unique.
6.In discussing those qualities, support your statements with specific instances in which he or she demonstrated those attributes. Be as concrete and detailed as possible
He is the only student I ever had who came to all my office hours as part of a relentless, and ultimately successful, drive to master political theory. He was one of just ten percent in the class to receive an A.
7.Try to quantify the student''s strengths or rank him or her vis a vis other applicants that you have observed.