Tips for Writing Letters of
Recommendation
Office of Fellowships and Undergraduate Research
Rice University
To Say Yes or No
Reasons to say “no”:
Your support of or knowledge about the student does not match the opportunity
You lack sufficient time to write a thoughtful letter
You have a performance-specific reason not to support the student
The student approaches you in an unprofessional manner
You have a suggestion for an alternative reference better suited to the student
and the opportunity
Set Expectations
•Establish a minimum deadline for requesting a letter
•In writing or a meeting, obtain a description of the opportunity, student’s
reasons for applying, and future plans
•Have the student explain why he has asked you to write a letter for this
specific opportunity and what he feels you contribute to his overall dossier
•Ask the student to do a self-evaluation of his strengths relative to his own
expectations for your letter
•Ask for further information if needed
Be Efficient
Develop a template
• Introduction: conveys your level of support for the student, explains
how you know the student and for how long, and lists the
characteristics/transferable skills you have seen that suggest the
student’s fit for the opportunity
• Body paragraphs: provide specific examples of the student displaying
those characteristics
• Conclusion: summarizes your endorsement, may assume a more
personal tone
Create boilerplate contextual information
• Specific details about the reputation of your program, the expectations
of students, the nature of students who major in your program, etc.
• The content of a program that you lead, objectives, number and nature
of projects, etc.
• A brief relevant summary of your background—both personal and
professional.
Speak to the Criteria
• The Udall Scholarship expects students to be concerned about
environmental public policy.
• The NSF Fellowship considers the value and efficacy of a student’s
research project.
• The Fulbright Scholarship expects the student to have a maturity of
character for successful study abroad.
• The Rhodes Scholarship and Marshall Scholarship selectors desire a
“British level of evaluative candor” from letter writers.
When writing a character reference for an
academic opportunity, address transferable
skills.
• Analytical thinking
• Problem solving ability
• Creativity
• Work ethic
• Communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work as a team member
• Success in overcoming obstacles
Details, Details, Details
• Situate praise in specific examples of students doing and acting
• Put the reader “in the moment” with the student
• Avoid hyperbole and cliché—let the actions speak for themselves
• Choose superlatives relevant to the behavior/action
• Stay within the scope of your experience with the student
THE RESULT: you demonstrate thoughtful assessment
rather than arbitrary or generic evaluation and enhance
the credibility of your evaluation.
To Criticize or Not to Criticize
Depends on the circumstances
• Evident weakness in the file
• Student has plan in place to improve
• Opportunity asks for a holistic eval
Requires context
• Why are you sharing this information? Have you shared it with the
student?
• Avoid the highly negative, ambiguous, or unexplained
• Limit comments to one sentence or brief paragraph
Avoid
• Sloppy presentation of material
• Too much information about you or opportunity for which the student is
applying
• A generic letter with no specifics about the student or a letter praising the
student beyond credibility
•
“Coded” language or seeming criticism through omission of expected
information
• Unethical practice of asking students to write a letter that you sign
Source
Schall, J., Ten Ideas for Improving Letter Writing.
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/
writingrecommendationlettersonline/node/138.