A letter of recommendation is an honest assessment of various aspects of you as a person, including your performance in the classroom, your performance in research, your overall attitude, your work ethic, and your ability to work with others.
Graduate schools, professional schools, and employers rely heavily on recommendation letters to make decisions about admissions and hiring.
The best people to write letters of recommendation are those who know you well!
At least three weeks prior to the first due date, please give the faculty member the following:
REQUIRED: Reference Letter Request
Recommended:
Not all faculty members will require all of these items, and some may require additional documentation, so at the end of your preliminary discussion, be sure you have a list of the items your faculty member has asked you to provide.
Some faculty members will require these items on hardcopy and others will accept electronic documents.
Note that the release forms will need a signature. So, if providing electronic documents, you will need to print, sign and scan the document. If an institution or potential employer requires an original signature, let the faculty member know and provide the documents on hardcopy.
*Generally, potential employers or academic institutions give more credence to confidential letters that you have waived your right to view.