Writer s Guide to Effective Letters of Recommendation

Transcription

1 Writer s Guide to Effective Letters of Recommendation By Dr. Kimberly Thomas LAESF Advisory Committee Member & Program Director, Science and Technology Base Programs Los Alamos National Laboratory The Obvious Check spelling and grammar. Be extremely careful using copy/paste from one letter to another and from one student to another. Check for correct name of student and of the entity the recommendation is directed toward (e.g., Los Alamos National Laboratory, not Laboratories) Ask the student for information about herself a resume, a summary of accomplishments, a copy of her application, etc. Ask for information about the entity for which the student is applying; make sure you know where to send your letter. Should you mail, fax, or the letter? If an electronic document is acceptable, make sure you use a file format that is universally accepted. Microsoft Word or PDF documents are safe. Be sure you understand the deadline if you can t meet it, let the student know ASAP and ask for contact information at the organization if you wish to request an extension. Writing Effective Letters of Recommendation: Page 1 of 5

2 The Subtleties If permitted, use your business or organization letterhead or electronic letterhead template. Succinctly establish your own credentials. I have 18 years of experience teaching math and science at the high school level, including AP physics and chemistry Clearly state your relationship to the student: how long and in what context you have known him. Jamal has been in three of my classes and I have been his track coach for the past two years. Help the reviewers by tying the student s accomplishments, attributes and talents to the job/scholarship criteria. I note this scholarship is based upon academic achievement, community service, and leadership. I ll address Gabriel s attributes in each of these areas. Avoid vague generalities. Instead, be specific and give concrete examples wherever possible. Miguel is a hard worker and a great kid. VERSUS Miguel s leadership skills were never better demonstrated than when he rescued the Thanksgiving food drive by taking over all the logistics at the last minute when the original manager fell ill. Miguel rallied community members by making appeals to local civic and church organizations, enlisted the aid of local businesses Compare the student in relative terms to other students you have mentored/taught Of the approximately 150 AP English students I have taught over the last 5 years, Lily ranks in the top 10%. Be circumspect about including personal details such as family finances, illnesses, or other sensitive information (check with the student). Supply your contact information in the event the decision-makers wish to clarify a point or want additional information Writing Effective Letters of Recommendation: Page 2 of 5

3 Sad-but-True Examples Using the wrong name of the student and other pitfalls of the COPY/PASTE tool. A letter having the name of the student correct on the first line, but all the rest of the letter referred to someone completely different. Similar to the above, sending a letter telling the interested parties what a great employee the student will be for WalMart, except the student is applying for a LANL Employees Scholarship. Remembering to change the names correctly, but sending an otherwise identical letter for more than one student to the same organization. The evaluators will quickly discredit this reference. Spending more time and energy establishing the reference s credentials than extolling the virtues of the student. Who s applying for this? The reference or the student? Illegible handwriting or an unreadable file or copy. If reviewers can t figure out what is being said, the letter may be disregarded. Faxes many be dififcult to read. Electronic files created in Appleworks, Clarisworks, or Publisher may not open properly on all computers. Strange formatting or text loss may occur if file translation is necessary. Reference being a close relative or friend without any other relevant connection to the student Reference going into very personal family details unwed mother with X kids (multiple fathers), father unknown, uncle is a drug addict, grandmother tries to raise the children as best she can when she isn t drinking If you can t legitimately provide a recommendation, the student deserves HONESTY from you directly. The student doesn t deserve your hidden criticism in a reference letter. Writing Effective Letters of Recommendation: Page 3 of 5

4 Sample Letters for Comparison 1 Home Street Anyplace, NM 875XX January 1, 2007 To Whom It May Concern: I would like you to give STUDENT a scholarship. He works very hard, studies every night, and gets good grades. He goes to church every Sunday and helps with the younger kids. After school he works odd jobs sometimes not getting home until very late. He never asks for anything from his family and often gives them money. He is the best student in my algebra class and I can tell you his family has fallen on hard times and won t be able to help him go to college. His father left the family several years ago. His mother works odd jobs and his older brother has a drug problem and has been in and out of jail. STUDENT really deserves a scholarship and I hope you can help him out. Sincerely, Well-Meaning Person *************CONTRAST THE ABOVE WITH THE LETTER BELOW************* STUDENT has asked me to write him a letter of recommendation for your scholarship program. I am happy to do so. STUDENT is one of the best students in my Algebra II class this year. In fact, I rank him as one of the best math students I have had in my 15 years at HIGH SCHOOL. The fact that he does so well in school is a testament to this young man s fortitude, work ethic, and commitment to bettering himself and his family. In addition to taking a full load of courses as a senior, STUDENT works a total of at least 40 hours a week at EMPLOYER1 and EMPLOYER2 providing the major financial support to his mother, brother, and two sisters. In addition he is a teacher s aide for his church s Sunday school often taking some of the more troubled pre-teens under his wing. In sharing some of his personal challenges with me, he has stated how important he believes role models are for young kids and how responsible he feels to provide a positive one in spite the lack of role models in his own family. He wants the younger students to realize that they, too, can rise above their challenges. He has tutored several students this year and I believe he has helped them stay away from very strong, but negative, peer influences. STUDENT is determined to attend college whatever obstacles he must overcome. He has already demonstrated his commitment to learning, to leadership, to family, and to community service. I have no doubt he will succeed. Your investment in STUDENT will be repaid multiple times even as he continues his pursuit of higher education. As demonstrated above, he is already giving back to his community. Writing Effective Letters of Recommendation: Page 4 of 5

5 Sample of an Effective Letter of Recommendation: (Use official letterhead from your school or organization, if permitted. It s best to send your letter to a named person, but in lieu of that, one of the following salutations will suffice.) Dear Scholarship Committee: To Whom it May Concern: Dear (Company Name) Hiring Official: Regarding: STUDENT S NAME A year ago, I had the privilege of writing a letter of recommendation for (STUDENT) for your consideration for the LANL scholarship program. She was then a senior at (HIGH SCHOOL). She has since completed her first semester at the (UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE) and is applying for the renewal of her scholarship. I continue to recommend her enthusiastically. Since her graduation from high school, STUDENT has further shown her excellence as a student and member of her community. During the summer following graduation, STUDENT was an employee of the Los Alamos Laboratory and was involved in writing articles for an employees journal in which she described various community programs in the area. She expressed the experience as an eye opener and has since decided to pursue a career in journalism. She concluded her first semester with a 4.14 GPA and will begin the second semester with sophomore standing resulting from her test scores from the College Board Advanced Placement program during her junior and senior years of high school. In order to attain this level of success in high school it was necessary for STUDENT to overcome educational hurdles beyond academic rigor. HIGH SCHOOL is a struggling school with little in place for high achievers. STUDENT recognized this and without much institutional support was able to create a demanding academic program for herself. This included taking an AP online course in Art History in which her instructor described her as his best student. She went on to score a 4 in the AP Exam excellent. STUDENT was my student in Pre AP World History and AP European History. I was also her mentor for the online course. In my teaching experience, I have not encountered a student with more drive and potential than STUDENT. She is worthy of your consideration, and deserving of support. There is no doubt that she will contribute greatly to her community once she has completed her degree. Sincerely, SIGNATURE Reference A. Teacher teacher@highschool.edu Writing Effective Letters of Recommendation: Page 5 of 5