Writing Your Own Letter of Recommendation

Balance praise with candidness. Many people feel uncomfortable praising themselves. If you are
the shy type, cast aside your timidity and try to be objective about your accomplishments. Letters
of recommendation are, by definition, laudatory: so grab a sheet of paper and make a list of your
good qualities. On the other hand, don't completely discard modesty and err on the side of pure,
distilled self-praise: your supervisor might not agree that you are indeed "superhumanly brilliant",
and anyway admissions readers are much keener on candid, well-balanced letters than ones rife
with superlatives.

Pick wisely and discard the fluff. Writing your own letter of recommendation is not unlike putting
together your resume: you must choose your accomplishments carefully. A letter that highlights
two or three specific qualities, accomplishments, and achievements is far stronger than one that
covers all your positive traits. If you are having trouble paring down the content, ask a friend or
colleague to look over the text and pick out the most impressive points.

Maintain credibility. Concentrate on making the letter believable. This doesn't mean just sticking
with the facts; it means finding a voice that accurately portrays you from the recommendation
writer's perspective. Remember that the letter must be stylistically different from your other
submitted written work. Vary your vocabulary, adapt expressions, and generally avoid phrasing
things exactly as you did, say, in your personal statement or cover letter.

Avoid redundancy. Don't repeat accomplishments that have been described in detail elsewhere in
your application. The letter should support your main accomplishments rather than merely rehash
your resume. Write about these accomplishments in a new light, expanding on areas where you
did not have the opportunity to elaborate on elsewhere in the application or cover letter.

Letter of Recommendation Template

[University Letter Head]

[Sender's Name]
[Sender's Address, Line 1]
[Sender's Address, Line 2]
[Sender's Phone Number]
[Sender's Fax Number]
[Sender's E-mail Address]

[Today's Date]

[Recipient's Name]
[Recipient's Address, Line 1]
[Recipient's Address, Line 2]

Dear [Recipient's Name] or To Whom it May Concern,

It is my pleasure to recommend Jane Doe for admission to [name of program] at [name of

university]. I am a fifth year Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley. I came to know
Jane when I was her Graduate Student Instructor for Philosophy 111: Ethical Relativism, taught
by Professor John Doe. The course comprised [short description of course]. Jane distinguished
herself by submitting an exceptionally well researched and interesting project on ethical practices
in ancient Greece. I would rank her in the top 2% of students that I have taught in the past five
years in respect of her writing ability and research skills.
Overall, Jane is highly intelligent and has good analytical skills. Her project on ethical practices in
ancient Greece demonstrated her ability to come a detailed understanding of the ethical practices
of another, very different culture, and to analyze the consequences of those practices for
contemporary ethical theories. She gave a particularly interesting discussion of the difficult
practice of infanticide, and showed both sensitivity and detachment when discussing its ethical
consequences. Her overall intelligence is also reflected in her grades for the course, which were
by far the best in the class.

Jane has excellent communication skills. Her written work is both clear and concise, and
interesting to read. She demonstrated her oral articulateness in the discussion sections that were
an integral part of the course. Each discussion section focused on a particular ethical dilemma.
Students were required analyze morally problematic situations, and to develop and argue for their
own ethical views with regard to the issue in question. Jane was highly proficient in applying the
course material in analyzing the problem situations. She always explained her views very
concisely and gave supporting arguments that were both clear and persuasive. Jane also
demonstrated good team working skills in group assignments.

At a personal level, Jane is a well disciplined, industrious student with a pleasant personality. She
went well beyond the course requirements in the quantity and quality of her project, putting in a
lot of extra research and attending office hours every week. Throughout the course, Jane
demonstrated great perseverance and initiative. She was not only interested in and motivated to
learn the material, but put great work into assimilating it to her own experience and developing
her own ideas about each ethical topic that we discussed.

Jane is unquestionably an exceptional candidate for graduate study in Ethics. Jane's work in
Philosophy 111 suggests that she would greatly benefit from the opportunities for intellectual
development provided by a sustained period of graduate study. She has proven herself to have
the perseverance and initiative, and the intellectual creativity necessary to complete an advanced
graduate degree. I would therefore highly recommend Jane Doe. If her performance in my class
is a good indication of how she would perform as a graduate student, she would be an extremely
positive asset to your program.

If I can be of any further assistance, or provide you with any further information, please do not
hesitate to contact me.

Yours Sincerely,

[Signature]

Sample Letter of Recommendation from Employer

Dear Friend:

You have been asked to write a letter on behalf of a student who is seeking college credit for prior
learning. St. Ambrose University is offering students the opportunity to receive college credit for
learning acquired outside of the classroom setting, on the job, or in life experience. Your letter
will help the student provide evidence that the learning he or she asserts actually did occur and is
worthy of college credit. These guidelines are intended to help you provide the verification and
evaluation of the student's learning in the best possible way.

* Send your written evaluation on letterhead stationery.

* Include a description of your present position and pertinent past experiences.
* Identify your relationship to the candidate (i.e. supervisor, manager), the situation in which
you observed the individual, and the dates of the observation.
 * State specifically what competence, skills, or knowledge you have been asked to assess (in
most cases, the candidate will inform you of these in advance).
* Evaluate how well the person performed by using statements such as average, above
average, exceptional, etc.
* Verify that the student held the position and fulfilled the responsibilities claimed.
* Use examples, wherever possible, for the standards you have used, such as performance at
the same level as my other employees who possess the bachelors degree or performance
exceeded all other volunteers under my supervision who have performed these same or similar
duties.

If you are not sure which skills, knowledge, or competence to assess, please feel free to ask the
student to be more specific. It is important to know that you are not being asked to make a
recommendation; that is, we are not asking you to make comments on the student's appearance
or deportment, nor are you being asked to make a prediction of the student's future performance.
Rather, you are asked to verify what the candidate has learned and to evaluate how well he or
she knows or can do what has been asserted.

This information will be public and the candidate will be provided with a copy. Therefore, your
statement will be most helpful both to the student and to the committee, if it is entirely
straightforward. We wish to thank you in advance for taking time to provide as thoughtful and
candid an assessment as possible.

Sample Letter of Recommendation B: Employment

The University of North Florida

4567 St. Johns Bluff Road South · Jacksonville, FL 32224
(904) 555-0000 Fax (904) 555-0001

November 19, 2003

Dr. Anita Hiresomeone

Counseling Center
Schultz Hall, Room 2121
University of North Florida
4567 St. Johns Bluff Road South
Jacksonville, FL 32224-2645

Dear Dr. Hiresomeone:

It is with great pleasure that I find myself writing this letter of recommendation for Janie
Jobseeker. Janie is an outstanding employee who on a daily basis goes “above and beyond” in
her administrative support to Student Government and continuously exceeds the performance
standards for her position of office Manager. Laurel willingly accepts new assignments and offers
to help wherever she can. Student Government is a frenetic environment that presents many
competing demands on the staff there. Mrs. Kendall remains steadfast in her cheerfulness,
calmness, and dependability. She is an extraordinary employee and a vital member of the team in
Student Government. Laurel has demonstrated excellent managerial and decision making skills.
She is attentive to tasks and works tirelessly to achieve the goals of the department. She is an
extremely positive and dependable employee, and performs her duties in an extremely timely and
conscientious manner.

I’ve received many compliments from the many students that she’s assisted as well as the staff
members who rely on Laurel’s direction. Management and personnel in Academic Affairs,
Enrollment Services, and other departments praise her work. Laurel is an innovative self-starter,
who rarely needs supervision. She is punctual and typically exceeds expectations. She handles
pressure well, and will voluntarily work overtime and take work home to meet a deadline.

Laurel is an invaluable asset to any department, and I highly recommend hiring her as your new
Associate Director for Student Affairs. If you’d like to discuss her attributes in more detail, please
don’t’ hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Emma Feelgood

Emma Feelgood