Recommendation Letters

I like writing recommendation letters for students that I have worked with. If that sounds like you, I am probably very enthusiastic about your future success, and I would be happy to be of some help. If you'd like me to write you a recommendation letter, please reach out to me as early as possible.

The above being said, writing recommendation letters takes effort and time, and it would be enormously helpful of you to share some information with me to get me started. Please write to me with the following information at least 2 weeks before you need the letter.

  1. When do you need the letter finished by? Are there multiple deadlines I should be aware of?
  2. What are you applying for? Masters programs require different kinds of letters than PhD programs, REUs require a certain kind of letter, and all of the above are a bit different than internships and other industry applications. If you are applying to more than one kind of program, please note this in the email.
  3. How are you presenting yourself to the admissions comittee? Provide any transcripts, CVs, or personal statements that will be part of your application.
  4. How do we know each other? It would be helpful to list the classes you have taken with me and the research projects we've done together, with dates.
  5. What were some memorable moments during the course you took with me or work we did together? It would be even more helpful if you could provide some anecdotes from our work that support your qualifications.
  6. What excites you about the program you're applying to? What are your long term goals and how will this program help? Why are you applying?

It is standard in recommendation letters to share specifics about grades and other academic information that would normally be protected. It would be helpful for you to include in your email explicit permission for me to share your academic information (including grades) as part of my letter.

Thanks to Sam Gutekunst, from whom I stole this page, and also to Michael Orrison and Dagan Karp for inspiring Sam to write it in the first place!