Recommendation Letters for Grad Schools:
Writing recommendation letters is one of the important things I do, and seeing students succeed in the next chapter of their lives is deeply rewarding for me.
Last year, I wrote around 20 reference letters for students currently at the undergrad or MS level.
It takes a lot of time, so I prepare this webpage to smooth the process.
Students who have conducted research with me:
If we have a track record of working together (e.g. published work), I'll be happy to write you a personalized letter.
Writing a
personalized letter ([
Why does it matter?]) is time consuming.
It would be helpful if you could:
- Contact me at least one month before when the earliest reference is required.
- In your e-mail, include a 2-3 paragraph summary of our research projects. I will rewrite this but this will save me some time.
- Let me know of any other specifics you'd like me to include, e.g. highlights that you think won't be mentioned in your other letters.
Students who have only taken my class:
If you are a student who has taken my class but did not interact with me outside the class, I will most likely submit a generic letter.
The template can be found
here.
I would caution that generic letters will mostly not be useful for your application.
[
Why no DWIC ("Did Well in Class") letters?]
Please consider the following when asking for a generic letter:
- Fill out the linked template before contacting me. I will then add a letterhead / signature.
- You are welcome to add extra details, though I may or may not end up including them. If your work particularly stood out, e.g. you had a top-ranking assignment, then by all means include these highlights.
Email tips:
- Please title your email as “[Rec Letters for Grad Schools]: YourName - YourAffliation”.
- Attach your transcript, CV/resume, and (if applicable) a draft of your statement (doesn't need to be final).
- Include a link to a Google spreadsheet of all schools.
- The first column should list the deadlines (Month/Day/Year).
- The second should be schools (not abbreviations).
- The third column should be the department or collage name.
- The fourth column should be the group/lab name (if exists).
- The fifth column should be the program name (either Masters or Ph.D.).
- The sixth column should be the names of professors you would like to work with (up to three).
- The seven column should be the link to the department website.
- The eighth column should be the way to send a letter (e.g., by email, or via website). If it needs to be sent by email, specify the recipient address.
- If you have any particular thing you want to let me know, you put it in the last column as a note.
Misc:
- If you are applying to more than two programs, please use a letter submission service like interfolio.
This will mean I upload the letter only once and it will be automatically submitted for you each time you request it.
- No thank-you gifts.
Instead of offering gifts, just return to me by your work.
Do great job on research, and inspire other people including me.
In that way, I would feel really happy, and the letter I write for the next student will be received enthusiastically.
- Lastly, and most importantly, after you've been out in the world a while, let me know how you're doing! I'd love to hear from you.
Share the exciting things you're up to, and also share any ideas you have about new things we should be teaching.