Letters of recommendation are a ciritical component of your application packages. Thus, it is important that you choose your recommendors wisely. Your best letters will likely be from individuals with whom you have established ongoing interactions. Likewise, when requesting letters of recommendation from your Professors or Supervisors, it is important to be considerate and present yourself professionally.
When requesting a recommendation letter, which is okay to do by email, remember the following guidelines:
- Give your recommendor plenty of advance notice; two to six weeks is a good guideline.
- In an email, include something like “Recommendation Letter Request” in the subject line so the individual knows to open the email right away.
- Tell your recommendor the deadline by which the letter must be sent.
- Provide a link to the internship or scholarship.
- Provide the name and address of the person to whom the recommendation letter should be sent. Also include any special instructions.
- Provide a copy or draft of your personal statement for the application.
- Provide a copy of your transcripts or C.V., if you have one, to illustrate what you have done beyond their interactions with you.
- Always follow up with a Thank You note once the letter has been submitted.
- Finally, let your recommendor know if your application was successful. We relish in your successes as much as you do!
Example of a Good Request for a Recommendation Letter
Email Subject Line: Recommedation Letter Request
Dear Dr. Arellano
I recently applied for a summer internship at the Shannon Point Marine Center. I would greatly appreciate if you could write a strong letter of recommendation for me. I am most interested in working with Dr. Sylvia Yang on eelgrass ecology.You can find more information about the internship program here: INSERT LINK
To help you write a strong letter, I have attached a draft of my personal statement and a CV so you can see what I have been up to since the MSS program.
The letter is due March 1. The letter must be on University letterhead and can be sent as a PDF copy to the following email address: xxx@xxx
Thank you very much,
Former Marine Science Scholar