How To Write Recommendation Letters (LOR)
What Is An Effective Recommendation Letter? (Must Read)
To write a good letter, your referee needs to give concrete examples of your interaction with him. Most letters we see today are a list of superlatives, adjectives, and words of praise but no substance or concrete examples of interaction. General comments, such as, “This student is hardworking and smart”, are weak and useless. If a referee has agreed to give you a recommendation letter, he implicitly believes that you are smart and hardworking. He doesn’t need to say that. Even if he says that this is not the only thing he must say. He must provide instances of personal interaction and joint activity together.
Lets Understand This With An Example.
Let’s assume you did your final year project with a Professor on designing an algorithm for the detection of tumors in lungs from X-ray images. This is what he should write:
"Rizwan worked with me in the Image processing lab. One of the projects in our lab was to detect cancer blobs in X-Ray images. We had developed an algorithm using wavelets techniques that we wanted to evaluate for its performance against the state-of-the-art edge detection and blob detection algorithms. Rizwan implemented the algorithm in Matlab and also designed test case scenarios for testing a large amount of X-Ray data against the method proposed by us and the methods already existent. During this work, he faced problems of importing codes of other algorithms into Matlab from languages such as C++. It was a time-consuming and delicate task. Rizwan exhibited great dedication and hard work to finish the job and help us get the results. Our work resulted in two publications one of which was published in IEEE Signal Processing Letters with the title "A novel method of detecting cancer blobs in X-Ray images using wavelets". I was impressed with Rizwan's work and his analytical approach towards problem-solving."
As you can see, the above example perfectly describes many qualities of you. It looks concrete, it looks genuine and it has substance it. If your referee provides no such example and fills your letter with 10s of lines of adjectives and praise, it will mean nothing for the application committee. What most people failed to understand is that if you provide a recommendation letter filled only with superlatives and adjectives, such a letter will actually hurt your application. The application committee will think that in your entire studies or your entire job, you did nothing productive or useful or remarkable with your referee. That you had only superficial interaction with your professors. That the only thing you can show is your course grade and even the professor who is giving you the letter is a liar because if he were a good professor, he would give this letter only if you had worked with him.
I saw many letters today and it’s almost painful that most of them started with, “I have known this student for two years; she took a course I taught last semester in which she got an A grade”, and ends with, “Therefore, I highly recommend this student to you”, Such a letter is complete nonsense and it is a laughing stock. But, in all honesty, it is your responsibility to give to-the-point details to your professors to help them give the recommendation letters that matter and are a genuinely true reflection of your skill perceived and understood by your professor based on his interaction with you.
The context of concrete examples is not limited only to technical work. It could also be something else. The important thing here is that the letter must reflect on personal interactions. Working in a student society under the supervision of another professor and the story of his personal interaction with you is equally a good substance. The problem with a letter with only information about a course you studied is that it is too trivial. There are dozens of other students in the class and based only on your score, the degree can not reflect any tangible attributes of you that could convince the reviewer about the capacity the referee knew you.
You need to think out of the box to get an idea of who can you ask for a recommendation letter.
Recommendation Letter -1 With Side-By-Side Explanation
Always think back, a reference letter which could not show your relation with the referee, and without having facts and figures about you, is of no use.
In this first paragraph, the referee starts talking about your initial supervision/teaching relation with him. He pinpoints your positive things during that time on the basis of your achievements by mentioning those (e.g. cgpa, course standings, thesis details). He provides facts to prove your accomplishments
It is my immense pleasure to recommend one of my best students, __(student’s name) for the (write the name of the scholarship you are applying for). As a plant physiology teacher (add the subject that your professor has taught you) and supervisor of his thesis research project; his intelligence and honesty outweighed any other students in his class and impressed me very much. I came to know him in the fall semester of 2008 while teaching in his class. Both in-class and office hours he had given me a strong impression. During the course of their studies, his grades were exceptionally good. In fact, his overall results ranked first among the --------(no. Of the students in your class) students that I was teaching. He secured excellent results and achieved --------- (position) in the Faculty of---------(your faculty), and was awarded silver medal for this achievement.
Again, referee talks about your good quality on the basis of facts of your thesis. he doesn’t just say that you are good, great, blah blah…
In addition, his ability as a leader to other students and confidence in varieties of challenges had brought him praises not just from me, but also from other members of the Department as well. In his research project, “[your master or Ph.D. project title]”, the impact of [write something innovative and novel about your project] was determined for the first time in KPK province. The said research project is still being quoted frequently for academic and professional discussions, which earned him a “Grade –A+”
In the last, he talks about general abilities and then recommends you
__(student’s name) has a very unique ability of understanding and tackling complex problems, which requires in-depth understanding of the subject & ability to analyze. He used to surprise me sometimes with his viewpoint and perspective when it came to suggesting solutions to very multifaceted issues that came under discussion in the classroom. He is determined to face higher challenges and stronger competitions internationally. I believe, if he has given an opportunity, he will progress his knowledge and practices in the proposed field of study. I would like to appreciate your favorite considerations for him and, it would be a great pleasure for me to see him continuing his higher studies.
Professor’s name
Recommendation Letter -2 With Side-By-Side Explanation
In the first two paragraphs, the referee starts talking about your initial examiner /supervision/ teaching relation with him. he provides facts to prove your accomplishments and explains all about your work (e.g course/details) to support his statements about you. so no one could think that this letter is just from a random guy, whom you asked to write a letter for you.
I am writing this letter of recommendation for Mr. X for admission to the Ph.D. program at your good university. I have known X since the year 2012. I have served as an internal examiner for his MS thesis.
In his MS thesis, he investigated Y's problem with Y. He made a very good literature survey of existing X techniques and discussed their relative merits and demerits. More particularly, he attempted to propose new methods to overcome X like X and X specifically by X. Based on the X and the X, he obtained new metrics to ensure an enhanced X. He also suggested methods to avoid unnecessary X and overloading X. He provided a very nice presentation of his MS work and confidently answered the queries. Moreover, he responded very professionally on the examiners' feedback.
Now he talks about your accomplishments during the time which you passed with him. again, he does not claim your greatness with a blind eye, as he wants to play an important role as a referee during your selection in the future.
During his thesis work, he has happened to visit me a number of times to discuss X and its implementation issues. During those meetings, I have noticed that X has a serious research attitude and he has a non-compromising nature when it comes to the quality of work. Some part of his MS work has appeared in scholarly articles. His proposed work on X appeared in the International Conference on X, which was held in X. The detailed account of this work appeared later in the Journal of X. These publications indicate that X is productive and has a good command of his subject of research. During this endeavor, X has not only planned but executed successfully his research on a number of ideas on an important topic. I have found him emotionally stable, pleasant, disciplined, and hard-working. He has reasonably good communication skills. I am confident that X is an excellent candidate for post-graduate study in X.
In the last, he talks about general abilities and then recommends you
Studying at your university will provide him with valuable experience and will help him deepen his understanding of the subject. I am sure that X would be a tremendous asset to your university and he has my highest recommendation. Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Professor’s name
Comparison Of Bad, Good And Best LOR
Example of Bad Recommendation Letter
In truth, mediocre letters are actually bad letters. Since nobody ever writes an outright bad letter, everyone experienced in reading letters of recommendation knows that a mediocre letter is the worst thing that could be said about an applicant.
Dear Selection Committee,
I am writing to recommend Mr. Smith for your program. I know Mr. Smith because he worked in my lab for one summer.
Mr. Smith was given a project to work on. He was in the lab the amount of time required by the program that was funding him. He was diligent in his work, and he completed all assignments. I met with him regularly to detail the work that needed to be completed. Mr. Smith is a personable young person, and it was a pleasure to have him in the lab. In summary, I recommend Mr. Smith for your program.
Sincerely,
Richard Hughes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Example of Good Recommendation Letter
The following is a good letter, and it may actually help Mr. Smith.
Dear Selection Committee,
I am writing this letter to strongly recommend Mr. Smith for your program. I know Mr. Smith because he worked in my lab for one summer. Mr. Smith came to me a year ago to discuss the possibility of spending a summer working in my lab. I met with him and outlined a project. I gave him some background reading at our first meeting. By the time of our second meeting he had read what I had given him and prepared a two-page project description. This level of effort is typical of a good medical student who joins my lab, so I agreed to take him on for a summer.
During his time in my lab, Mr. Smith demonstrated a good work ethic and interpersonal skills. We outlined a scope of work to be completed, and he successfully completed that work in the time required. He put in extra hours as necessary in order to meet specific deadlines that I set. I teamed him up with another student to work on the project. He seemed to work well with the other student, and I found him very personable. Mr. Smith put insufficient work to be a co-author on a manuscript. Overall, I would strongly recommend Mr. Smith for a position in your program.
Sincerely,
Richard Hughes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Example of Outstanding Recommendation Letter
This is an outstanding letter is that it provides detailed descriptions of many qualities that admissions committees and employers seek: hard work, independence, creativity, problem-solving ability, and the ability to get along with people. Mr. Smith is seeking a residency in orthopedic surgery, so it is also useful to have an evaluation of Mr.
Smith’s dissection skills are mentioned in the letter. Another noteworthy aspect of this letter is that it is detailed and provides specific anecdotes of outstanding performance. People who read letters of recommendation often look for this because it demonstrates that the person writing the letter actually knows the details of the applicant’s work experience. At the end of your time in my lab, I will ask everyone (staff and other students) who has worked with you to provide anecdotes of outstanding performance that I can include in your letter.
Dear Selection Committee,
I am writing this letter to give my highest possible recommendation for Mr. Smith. I know Mr. Smith through his work in my laboratory. Mr. Smith first approached me two years ago about the possibility of work in my laboratory for a summer. At our first meeting I described the general outline of the project the he might work on. He asked good questions and appeared intelligent. He then went to the library and found many papers on the subject and read them carefully. He did this independently - I did not ask him to do this. I learned that he had done this at our second meeting, and I was quite impressed at his motivation and independence. Mr. Smith obtained funding from a program at our University to work in the lab for a summer.
During that summer, Mr. Smith demonstrated the ability to work independently with great creativity and enthusiasm. He also put in many long hours. He worked as hard as my best graduate student. I teamed Mr. Smith with another student to work on a project involving testing of patients having shoulder pathology. The project included recruiting patients, testing patients using biomechanical instrumentation, and data analysis. Mr. Smith excelled in each one of these areas. His interpersonal skills were excellent. He “schmoozed” the clinical staff to facilitate recruitment of patients. He tested the patients professionally. Sometimes this testing required long days due to the extensive setup and calibration of equipment each morning before the clinic began operation.
He stayed after the testing sessions to back up data, clean up the area, and start data processing programs to run overnight. He was usually the first one in the lab in the morning and the last to leave in the evening.
The other student working with Mr. Smith commented favorably about working with Mr. Smith. He said the Mr. Smith got along well with everyone, pulled his own weight on the project, and had the ability to compromise with other team members. One incident illustrates this point. There is a staff member in an adjoining lab that is a rather prickly person who has had many problems with students in the past. Mr. Smith had to interact with this staff person in order to get his project done. Mr. Smith was able to find a common interest with this staff person, which was folk dancing, and build a rapport based on this mutual interest. At the end of the summer the staff person noted what a pleasure it was to work with Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith also volunteered to help others in the lab. One of the other students was doing a project on knee biomechanics, and it required harvesting knees from the University’s morgue. Mr. Smith volunteered to help harvest the knees on several occasions.
I asked the graduate student in charge of that project about Mr. Smith, and he commented that Mr. Smith has excellent dissection skills.
I was especially taken by Mr. Smith’s creative mind and independent work ethic. He continued to read the literature independently and generate interesting hypotheses. We met about every other week, and at several meetings he presented papers and information that was new to me. By the end of the summer he was introducing me to scientific papers that were directly relevant to his study that I hadn’t seen before. Mr. Smith also showed remarkable problem solving ability. Our instrumentation system began having problems midway through his experiment. Mr. Smith spent a full weekend troubleshooting the system. He discovered there was a loose wire in the A/D connection box.
Mr. Smith is going to be first author on a manuscript that he is preparing for publication. He followed through on his promise to write the manuscript during his M2 year. Moreover, he handled the manuscript revisions and saw the manuscript through to publication. This illustrates his high level of motivation.
In summary, Mr. Smith is clearly the best student I have worked with in the last 10 years. I would very much like him match to our residency program. Even though I hope he stays here, I think he would be an outstanding asset to your program. I give him my highest recommendation.
Sincerely,
Richard Hughes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor