Get the Best Letters of Recommendation for Graduate School
Many students have lots of questions about letters of recommendation. Who should I approach to write a letter of recommendation? Here is a brief article that I thought would be helpful to students in understanding the importance of the letter of recommendation for graduate study.
Getting the Best Letters of Recommendation
An extremely important aspect of getting into college or graduate school is acquiring the best letter(s) of recommendation. This is a vital piece to your application puzzle since it allows schools to gauge your academic performance and interpersonal skills from a viewpoint other than your own. You can say you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, but having the opinions of others will allow schools to determine if your the right person for their institution.
So what is required in a letter of recommendation? The requirements vary from school to school. Some will ask you to simply provide three letters of recommendation from people other than your friends (usually college professors or work supervisors). Others will provide a recommendation template with a set of questions they’d like your references to answer.
The required number of recommendations also varies. Usually, schools will ask for at least two but sometimes more. If the school you’re applying to only requires a couple of letters, don’t try to impress them by compiling five or six recommendations. Remember, quality is always better than quantity. Instead, focus on getting the two best people possible for your required letters of recommendation.
So who should you ask for a letter of recommendation? As mentioned above, find the people you are absolutely sure will provide a great recommendation. Don’t approach a college professor whom you’ve spoken to once in your life. Find someone you have an actual relationship with. This will not only benefit you, but also the recommender. Asking for a letter from some random professor will be difficult for them to actually write. That means their letter won’t be high quality. They could wind up just using the generic, “Student X came to class on time everyday and performed all required coursework.” That’s not the type of recommendation you want. Granted, it’s not bad, but you want someone who is capable of talking about you in glowing terms and can provide true insight into your personality and work ethic.
Regardless of who you ask to write a letter of recommendation, make sure you provide them with your application. They are a great way to set you apart from other applicants and can even be a deciding factor into whether or not you’re accepted.
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