If you need a letter of recommendation
I often write letters of recommendations for students who have excelled in my classes. However, before you ask me for a letter you may want to consider these questions:
- Am I the best person to recommend your work? For example, if you are a finance student applying for a finance scholarship, will a letter from a rhetorician be as helpful as a letter from a professor in your major department? (Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on your specific situation.)
- Do I know your work well enough to write a detailed, enthusiastic letter on your behalf? If not, is there someone else who does?
If you think that a letter from me will be a strategic component of your application, then please follow these suggestions in order to help me write the strongest letter possible for you:
- Email me as soon as possible so that I’ll have enough time to prepare your letter. A month in advance is optimal. I generally don’t write letters for which I haven’t been given at least two weeks notice, since I generally have several other deadlines in the queue.
- Tell me when the letter is due, and if that due date is the day I should send the letter or the day it should be received.
- Send me the requisite background about you and the position or award, including but not limited to:
—The exact deadline for the letter.
—The contact information for the letter (including the individual contact person, if any, the institution name, and the submission address.)
—Any necessary forms, with the applicant information filled out in advance.
—A description of the position/award for which you’re applying, the reasons you want it, and the reasons you think you’re suited for it.
—A current resume or vitae.
—A pre-addressed, stamped envelope for each letter.
Good luck! Let me know how things turn out for you.