STUDY ABROAD ACADEMIC REFERENCE
Office of International Studies – McDonald Hall #150 – 1500 University Drive - Billings, MT 59101
To be completed by applicant:
Name:
MSUB ID #:
Last
First
Name of study abroad program:
Japan Short-Term Faculty-Led Trip
Country/countries of program:
Japan
Semester(s) and years(s) of program:
Intersession 2014-15 and May/June 2015
To the applicant: Under the U.S. Federal Law, students are permitted access to certain educational records. Many applicants have found, however,
that recommendation letters may have a greater effect when such letters are written in confidence. If you waive your right to inspect the information
requested by this form, please sign below.
_________________
Signature
Date
Instructions for the referee:
Your opinion of the applicant will be of great assistance in the study abroad candidate selection process. It is important that your responses and
comments be frank and honest. It is particularly helpful to know the specific strengths of the candidate and any challenges or adjustments the student
is likely to face, given your observation of her or his academic, personal and social skills. When evaluating this applicant, please keep in mind that
study abroad programs require participants to be independent and self-motivated as they may be immersed in the host environment with only
minimal support and supervision. Specifically, please assess the student within the context that if selected, they will be traveling extensively and
living with a group of 10 to 15 other MSUB students in Japan for close to a month. During this time, they also will be living for 10 days with a
Japanese host family while taking classes at our sister institution, the Prefectural University of Kumamoto. There may be nobody in the host family
who is fluent in English (though it is likely that hosts will try to communicate as best they can). In any event, the student will be expected to
participate in both ordinary day-to-day family events (meals, outings, etc.) and may find themselves in the “honored guest” role on occasion. With
this in mind, please indicate your candid assessment of the student’s suitability for this program by answering the following questions.
1. How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
2. Please answer the following by putting check marks in the appropriate boxes to the right of the question (note: for some questions, the best answer
may be “never” while for others “always” may be the preferred answer.)
Based upon your experience and knowledge…
always
mostly
has this student regularly attended class (unless expressly excused)?
has this student been punctual in arriving at class?
has this student come to class prepared?
has this student been attentive in class?
has this student completed and submitted assignments on time?
is this student comfortable embracing new ideas or ways of doing things?
does this student use their cell phone in a manner that is distracting to you and/or others?
is this student courteous and respectful to others?
does this student interact well with other students in group situations or assignments?
does this student demonstrate an awareness of how their presence and behavior affects others?
does this student exhibit honest and ethical behavior?
does this student’s presence in class detract from the overall learning atmosphere?
In your experience, this student’s academic performance has been…
_____ among the best -- better than 95 % of all students you have taught.
_____ laudable -- between the 75th percentile and 95th percentile of all students you have taught.
_____ average -- in the middle 50% of all students you have taught. (25th percentile to 75th percentile)
_____ poor -- in the lowest 25% of all students you have taught.
sometimes
rarely
never
3. Please answer the following (please attach additional pages if you need more space than is provided):
If you were leading a student study trip abroad program, where you were responsible for the group’s well-being and safety, what concerns (if any)
would you have regarding having this student in the program?
In your observations of this student, would you feel comfortable recommending this student as an “ambassador” representing MSUB, Montana, and
the United States through interactions with citizens and institutions (including a university that has exchange agreements with MSUB) in Japan?
Please explain.
Please feel welcome and encouraged to add anything additional that you think would be helpful in assessing this student’s suitability to participate in
this study abroad opportunity.
Signature:_____________________________________________
Date:___________________________
Name (printed): ________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________________
Please send this form and any additional pages (scanned email submissions to studyabroad@msubillings.edu are acceptable) to:
Office of International Studies
Montana State University Billings
McDonald Hall #150
1500 University Dr.
Billings, MT 59101
Thank you for your support of Study Abroad programs at Montana State University Billings!