letters of recommendation play an important role in graduate school admissions. they offer admissions officers insight to your working style, your commitment to attend grad school, and above all, your character. they can sift through test scores, transcripts, resumes, and writing samples all day, but no other piece of your application can offer the objective third-party commentary that a letter of recommendation can. follow our guide to get a strong letter of recommendation that will help improve your chances of admission.<\/p>\n
get to know your professors, teaching assistants, lab managers, and employers \u2013 whoever you work with consistently and whoever can speak to your strengths when it comes time to apply to grad school. spend time with these people outside of academic or work settings, and invite them out for coffee or lunch. after all, when you ask for letters of rec, you don\u2019t want your professor to be reaching for what your name is. however, getting a rec letter shouldn\u2019t be the only reason why you want to build meaningful relationships. these people can help you land summer internships, let you know about scholarships, and serve as advisors for you throughout your educational career.<\/p>\n
now that you\u2019ve gone to all the trouble of building meaningful relationships, you want to ask those people for your letters of rec. sure, your best friend\u2019s ex\u2019s uncle\u2019s cousin might know a nobel laureate who\u2019s a giant in your intended field, but someone who can discuss your qualities and potential firsthand is going to provide a much stronger letter of rec than a nobel laureate who only knows of you through the grapevine.<\/p>\n
when asking potential letter writers for their help, make sure you understand you\u2019re doing just that \u2013 asking for help. your professors and employers aren\u2019t obligated to write a letter for you. recognize that it takes a lot of time to write a thoughtful, meaningful letter of recommendation \u2013 particularly so when simultaneously balancing applications for grant money, teaching a full course load, and managing a research lab. be polite and show your appreciation when asking for letters.<\/p>\n
asking for a letter of recommendation two days before the application deadline is a recipe for disaster. not only will you look disorganized and unprofessional, but you\u2019ll also be putting a lot of undue stress on your recommender. every professor and mentor wants to help their students succeed, but they need sufficient time in order to do so. provide at least a month\u2019s notice (with very clear due dates).<\/p>\n
in your request for a letter of recommendation, it\u2019s helpful to frame things with some of your positive attributes and experiences. for example, you can note that you really got a lot out of professor dylan\u2019s course because it sparked your interest in zoology, which in turn led you to publish five articles in a national zoology journal. providing some talking points will give your recommenders some reference for how to start.<\/p>\n
with all that recommenders have on their plates, it can be easy for them to procrastinate on your letter. send an email a week or two before the deadline, thank them for helping you out, and politely check in on the status of your recommendation.<\/p>\n
show recommenders how grateful you are for their assistance by sending thank-you notes after you submit your applications. many students forget this step, and you can easily make yourself stand out by remembering. keep your note friendly and concise for the greatest impact. <\/p>\n
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follow these tips to get a solid letter of recommendation that will strengthen your application and improve your chances of admission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":3609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[375,276,171,280,376,193],"ppma_author":[508],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"catherine](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/blog\/files\/2016\/02\/2016-02-02-1.png\")
catherine supports magoosh\u2019s future grad school students by unlocking tricks of the test prep and application trade. catherine spends her free time checking out local farmer\u2019s markets, reading food and lifestyle blogs, and watching bravo. she is forever in search of the best mexican and italian food in any given city.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nphoto attributions:
\n1 – photo at top courtesy of flickr user university of saskatchewan<\/a> under creative commons license 2.0<\/a>.
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