How To Write A Graduate School Letter Of Intent – A letter of recommendation for graduate school is a written endorsement of a graduate school candidate that is submitted with the application. Recommendations should be written by professional or academic contacts who really know the applicant and can provide a credible perspective. The letter should be short and positive, and it should use specific examples where possible.
The point of this letter is not simply to sing the applicant’s praises. All have good qualities, but only some are cut out for graduate school. The recommendation must present an argument why the aspiring student will be successful in the targeted program. Also includes:
How To Write A Graduate School Letter Of Intent
Where possible, claims should be supported by specific examples. It is easy to state that someone is intelligent or conscientious, but more meaningful to show the strength of an applicant through anecdotes from the workplace or classroom.
Letters Of Recommendation For Graduate School: The Definitive Guide — Shemmassian Academic Consulting
Applicants will need 2 to 4 letters of recommendation to support their graduate school application. The best choices for writing these letters would be professors, supervisors, mentors, managers, and employers of the candidate. The person writing the letter should be able to use a reasonably long relationship to illustrate the applicant’s aptitude, work habits and personal character.
A professor or mentor can easily assess the candidate’s academic qualities and scholastic temperament, while a manager or employer may refer to a long working relationship to vouch for their character.
A letter of recommendation for graduate school should fill at least one full page (usually 400 – 600 words) and contain a letter body, an introduction, up to 4 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
The following information regarding the author of the letter should be included in the upper left corner of the page:
Sample Letter Of Recommendation For Graduate By Graduateschoolsop18 On Deviantart
The introduction simply states who is writing the letter to whom, and who is the candidate the writer is writing on behalf of. This paragraph only needs to be 2-4 sentences long.
Example #1 Dear Sir/Madam: I am writing to you in support of Gary Yamamoto and his desire to attend Dartmouth University for the Cellular Biology master’s program. I get numerous requests to write these types of letters every year, but it is only on behalf of a handful of remarkable students that I make the effort. I wholeheartedly believe that only the most deserving students should have a place in any given program, and Mr. Yamamoto is a very promising Biology student.
In this example, a university professor is writing on behalf of a student and they emphasize that they only recommend students who are suitable candidates for their program of choice. By insisting that they do not take the matter of submitting a letter of recommendation lightly, they made their recommendation more convincing.
Example #2 To whom it may concern: It is with great privilege that I am writing to you at the recommendation of Francine Charles for the Art History graduate school program. Francine has worked for me for the past three years at The Word, a bookstore near the McGill campus, and I have found her to be a friendly and hardworking individual. Her knowledge of and passion for art history spans the millennia and includes many indigenous cultures.
Recommendation Letter For Grad School 2023 (guide + Free Samples)
This example is written from the point of view of a hiring manager and includes the length of time the candidate has worked for this employer, as well as some of their positive attributes. Because this information is included in the introduction, it will necessitate that more personal reflections and specific examples be included in the body of the letter.
Next, the writer will need to describe the context in which they know the student, and for how long. Describing the length of time the writer has known the student and the nature of their relationship will add weight to the statements of the student’s positive qualities that follow in this section. In terms of length, this paragraph should be composed of 3-6 simple sentences.
Example #1 During the Fall/Winter Semesters of 2015 and 2016, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Yamamoto in my Evolutionary Biology and Microbiology 1 classes. Although my class sizes are quite large, I always make a point to pay close attention to students who submit exemplary work. Gary’s work has always been meticulous and well organized, and most importantly, his work and test results, but he in the top percentile in his program. Compared to the majority of his peers, I can confidently say that Mr. Yamamoto is a remarkable student who will bring great value to any university he chooses to attend.
Here, a professor uses comparison and personal observations to emphasize that the candidate is an outstanding student. They also give details about the time they have known the student.
Ways To Write A Reference Letter For Graduate School
Example #2 I first met Jacinthe four years ago when she came to me for counseling. I remember being impressed by her chirping enthusiasm and the importance she placed on her education. Where most first-year students are content to have a straight schedule of first-year courses, Jacinthe wanted to make sure that her course schedule would benefit her ability to excel and give her the most opportunities for future studies. These important early choices helped Jacinthe to be on the Dean’s List three years in a row and allowed her to pursue extracurricular interests in sports and student government.
The writer in this example describes their first meeting with the student. By doing this, they are saying that the student is memorable, while at the same time specifying how long they have known the student. They emphasize the student’s academic performance and provide positive examples of the candidate’s personal qualities (which will be expanded upon in the next section).
After describing the writer’s relationship to the student, the following paragraph(s) will illustrate the student’s competencies and positive qualities in what will provide the main body of the letter. This section should include positive descriptions of the student’s work habits, character and sense of responsibility. Only one paragraph is needed for this section of the letter, but it can be up to 3 paragraphs long, depending on how much detail the writer chooses to include.
Example #1 Although Cory has consistently demonstrated his skill, ingenuity, and willingness to work, the best example of his intelligence shone through when I asked him to take an inventory of all materials in the building. In the manufacture of books and other supplies we have a wide variety of paper supplies, inks and other materials. Instead of simply counting each item and sending it back to its place of origin, he would first remove all the items and rearrange the shelves and containers so that it would be easier to count in the future. To my surprise, Cory was able to record the entire inventory before the day was over, leaving the work area organized for easier workflow and counting. This demonstrates the way Cory is always willing to exceed expectations, work quickly and efficiently and take the initiative when needed.
Graduate School Letter Of Recommendation Examples 2022 2023
In the above example, an employer uses a specific case to illustrate the candidate’s positive qualities. It describes how the applicant exceeded the employer’s expectations and used their problem-solving skills to accomplish a task.
Example #2 Gary was very helpful in the microbiology lab; with his great enthusiasm and passion for the subject, he made the past year more enjoyable for me personally. With voluntary free time, he helped me during laboratory experiments for sophomores and in return I worked closely with him on his school projects. Offering help and knowing how to ask for it are, I believe, important skills when working within the scientific community and specifically laboratory situations. I was most impressed when Gary suggested that we formulate an experiment for the students investigating the effects of ultraviolet light on the fermentation rate of yeast. He was responsible for compiling the necessary materials, and the class experiment was a complete success. As his school records will testify, Mr. Yamamoto’s work is always of the highest caliber. I would say that his academic gifts, along with his ability to work in groups and to excel in a competitive environment, make him the perfect candidate for a Microbiology graduate program.
This longer example has a lab supervisor use multiple examples to demonstrate the candidate’s positive character, academic talent, school involvement, and ability to excel within their chosen field. By demonstrating their understanding of the demands of a given field of study, their recommendation will be taken more seriously.
The concluding paragraph should summarize and reaffirm the writer’s recommendation for the applicant and it should include a preferred method of contact. This paragraph only needs to be 2-4 sentences long. The writer will also need to sign their signature below the lock to authenticate the letter.
Free Graduate School Letter Of Recommendation Template
Example #1 It is my belief that this young man will continue to excel and thrive in the field of Microbiology and specifically in experimental laboratory work. Gary Yamamoto is a highly deserving candidate and I will be happy to provide more information if you need it
Sample letter of intent for graduate school in public administration, sample letter of intent for graduate school pdf, sample letter of intent for graduate school, how do i write a letter of intent, letter of intent to enroll in graduate school, sample letter of intent for graduate school educational leadership, sample letter of intent for graduate school psychology, how to write a letter of intent to sue, how to write a letter of intent for a job, how to write a graduate letter of intent, letter of intent to graduate, how to write a good letter of intent
