LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
POLICIES AND INSTRUCTIONS - EFFECTIVE SPRING 2011
Many students request letters of recommendation of me each year. In order to expedite
this process, and to ensure fairness and consistency, the following policies shall be in
force:
1. Letters of recommendation will only be written for students who have achieved either
the grade of "A" or "B" in any course which I have taught. The reason for this is that I
cannot in good conscience recommend any student who has earned a grade lower than a
"B" for employment or an academic admission. I will not write letters of recommendation
for any individual who has not been an actual student of mine, nor will I write letters of
recommendation for an individual who has earned a grade lower than a "B" in ANY
ONE of multiple courses taken with me.
2. Letters of recommendation will only be written within THREE YEARS of the latest
course taken with me. After three years, my memory of individual students will fade, and
letters of recommendation should not be stale.
3. The request date for letters of recommendation MUST be at least ONE MONTH (30
days) in advance of the due date. I will not write letters of recommendation under
emergency conditions, or during the months of June, July, and August. The student's lack
of planning, or the emergency addition of a unexpected recipient, is always unfortunate,
and will not be accommodated.
4. I will write only a maximum of THREE letters of recommendation for any
individual student. I have no time for mass mailings for multiple students, so choose your
destinations wisely!
5. Letters of recommendation should ideally have a preprinted form which I can fill out
and send back. These forms contain a clause which allows you to waive your right under
Federal law to see my letter of recommendation if you are accepted to the program of
interest. It is your right NOT to waive this, but if you do not sign this statement, waiving
your right to see my letter of recommendation, I WILL REFUSE TO WRITE YOU A
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION!! That is MY right!! If there is no preprinted
form, you must see me in order to resolve this confidentiality issue before I will write you
any letters of recommendation, and also to address the specific points that need to be
included in the letter of recommendation.
6. I will require a pre-addressed envelope from you for each letter of recommendation I
am to send. These envelopes will bear sufficient postage. If you are requesting me to send
the letter through TMDSAS, I will not send it electronically!! The paper letterhead will
require you to provide me with a pre-addressed envelope bearing sufficient postage. I
will not address envelopes for students, nor will I pay their postage for them. I will not
contact the student about this, so get it right!!
7. You must clearly indicate the title, the name, and the address of EACH recipient for
EACH of your letters. This includes letter headings or addresses for unnamed recipients,
such as committees of admission or college registrars. I must know to whom I should title
each letter, and to where the letter is to be sent. I will not send letters of recommendation
to your home, nor to a friend or relative, nor will I place one in your hands to send out
yourself. DON'T ASK!!! Letters of recommendation will be mailed by me only, and
only to accredited institutions of learning or to prospective employers.
8. Letters of recommendation will only be written with my prior permission. You must
request prior permission of me for this service, by email, by telephone, or in person. I will
not contact you. I will not write letters of recommendation which are left in my mailbox
unannounced and without my prior permission. Your request for this service MUST
INCLUDE THE NAME(S) YOU USED when you were my student, the course(s) you
took with me BY COURSE NAME(S) AND COURSE NUMBER(S), and THE
YEAR(S) AND SEMESTER(S) you took the course(s). This helps you, since this
information will help me find your records much more quickly, especially if you were a
"long ago" student.
IF YOU PLAN TO REQUEST LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FROM ME,
YOU SHOULD PRINT THIS FORM OUT OR LINK TO IT AND KEEP IT FOR
YOUR FUTURE REFERENCE!!!
Dr. David J. Schwartz
Professor of Biology, Southwest College