Letters of Recommendation

Who should I ask to write my letters of recommendation?

We prefer to see letters from professors, lecturers, or teaching assistants who have had significant exposure to your academic work. It is important to choose your recommenders carefully and ask people who will have positive things to say about you as a student and who know your work product and skill set well enough to write a detailed, substantive letter.

What should I avoid in choosing recommenders?

Do not ask a politician, public figure, judge, or alumnus based on their name and title alone. It is not necessary to have a letter from an attorney. Choosing a recommender solely on that basis often leads to a generic recommendation that is not useful to the Committee. The most important thing about a recommendation is the content, not the title or stature of the writer. Family members and friends are usually not good choices.   

What should my recommender discuss in his or her letter?

Your letters should describe your academic qualifications, intellectual ability, and strengths as a student. This includes intellectual curiosity, research and writing ability, analytical skills, motivation, work ethic, and capacity to think critically and challenge yourself. Personal characteristics such as maturity, professionalism, leadership potential, and ability to work with others are also relevant.

What makes some letters of recommendation stand out? 

Most letters are positive since you get to choose who writes them. However, the most helpful letters will discuss the qualities described above and contain specific and substantive discussion of your abilities as a student. The Committee often finds a discussion of particular examples of your work, possibly a research project or substantial piece of writing, very helpful. Qualitative comparisons to your peers and illustrative anecdotes can also be quite useful.

What about recommendations from employers?

We understand that it may be necessary to ask your employer for a recommendation, particularly if you have been out of school for a while. Letters from employers are acceptable and can often be helpful. It is important that they speak to academic qualifications as discussed above. If you are still in undergrad and have strong faculty letters, it is not necessary to add a letter from your employment or internship unless it adds something additional to your file.

How many letters of recommendation should I submit?

The Committee requires two letters, but will accept up to four. Whether you should submit more than two depends on the content of the letters. If your additional letters provide an additional perspective or insight to your file, they can be a significant contribution to your application. Submitting more than two letters alone will not give your application a boost (no bonus for quantity). If additional letters would be redundant, feel free to submit only two letters.