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Letters
of Recommendation
Have
you ever purchased something that was recommended by a
friend or endorsed by a celebrity? If you have, then you
should not underestimate the impact that a positive
recommendation letter can have on your application.
The
recommendation letter reveals how other people perceive
you, and their thoughts on your personal traits and
academic and professional potential.
Choosing
your Reference
Your
reference should have established credibility, such as a
professor or research advisor. He or she should be in a
position to accurately judge your academic and
professional potential, meaning that they should have
extensive knowledge of your field, have known you for some
time, and be someone who supervised or instructed you. It
helps if the admissions committee has heard of your
reference and is familiar with his or her work.
What
are the key elements of a helpful recommendation?
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The
letter should be genuine, personal, and illustrated by
facts and examples. General statements should always be
supported by concrete examples.
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The
content should be consistent and complementary to the
application materials that you have provided. It should address
any questions that the admissions committee might have
regarding your qualifications.
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The
focus of the letter should be in line with what the
admissions committee considers to be important. For
example, if you are applying to a professional or
practical program, recommendations provided by your work
supervisors or associates will be very influential. On
the other hand, if you are applying to an academic
program such as a Ph.D. program, a professor will be in
a better position to judge your qualifications.
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The
criteria by which you are being evaluated should be
clearly stated. Examples include how you compare to the
specific number of students that your
reference has taught in the past five years, or your
contribution to the company's total sales last year.
Return
to Top
Suggestions
on How to Structure the Recommendation Letter:
Opening
Paragraph
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The
relationship between the reference and the applicant.
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The
term and program that the
applicant intends to apply to.
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How
long and in what context the
reference has known the applicant.
Second
paragraph
Assessment
of the applicant's qualifications, with supporting facts
and examples.
Third
paragraph
Assessment
of the applicant's personal traits and strengths
(communication skills, maturity level, ambition,
leadership, teamwork skills and integrity, etc.) and
possibly any areas that require further improvement.
Closing
paragraph
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A
statement indicating the reference's overall support of
the applicant.
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Assessment
of the applicant's future personal and professional
potential.
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The
possible contributions that the
applicant can make to the program and to the community
after graduation.
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Spend
some time reading and studying each school's requirement
for the recommendation letter.
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Think
of a focus for each letter. What is each school looking
for in a candidate and how does your character and
experience correspond with this? For example, one MBA
program may emphasize entrepreneurial creative
innovation and leadership, while another MBA program may
emphasize academic accomplishment.
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Contact
three to five potential references. They should be
well-acquainted with you and your work, be easy to
reach, and look favorably on your personal
qualifications. For more information on choosing a
references, read the above
section.
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Speak
to each of your possible references about your reasons
for wanting to pursue advanced studies, your future
personal plans, and discuss the focus areas you
identified.
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Decide
on who you want as your references based on their level
of support.
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Provide
each of your references with a copy of your resume,
personal statement, academic transcripts, professional
certificates, and relevant personal information. Prepare
a brief summary of the application deadlines, particular
points to cover, and specific questions that the schools
would like answered.
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Maintain
regular contact with your references to ensure that the
letters are completed and sent in according to schedule.
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Thank
your references for the effort and time that they spent
writing you the letters. Send them thank you cards.
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