Recommendation Letters

Writing recommendation letters is an important part of my job: if you did well in my courses, I owe you one, and by writing it I’m not doing you a favor. I want every letter I write to be a strong one, so if you found this page on your own, email me first and we’ll talk about whether I’m the right person to write for you. The more you send me, the better the letter I can write.

What to Send Me

Send one email, at least a month before your first deadline, with the subject line “Recommendation letter: your name”. Include:

• CV
• Unofficial transcript
• (Draft) statement of purpose
• Any other work related to the program or to my courses
• What you’d like me to highlight (see below)
• PhD applicants only: a Google Sheet or Excel file listing each program, its deadline, how it collects letters, and a column for me to check off.

What to highlight. Don’t be modest. Advocate for yourself; I’d rather you claim too much than too little. If I don’t agree with something, I’ll leave it out, but if you don’t mention something important, it might not make it into the letter.

Reminders

If I haven’t submitted your letter a week before a deadline, email me a reminder with the subject line “Recommendation letter reminder: your name, due date”. Reminders are welcome, not a bother. They help me make sure nothing slips.

Good luck with your applications!