Graduate School Recommendation Letters: 

If you are needing a graduate school recommendation letter from me, please read below: 

First of all, congratulations on making the decision to apply to graduate school! In order to write the best graduate recommendation letter I can, I first will need to gather some information from you. If I do not feel qualified (or able) to write a strong recommendation letter for you, I will tell you so as soon as possible. However, in order for me to consider recommending you for a graduate program, I ask that you provide the following:

1. What graduate program/s will you be applying for? This is important information, as I need to know what I'd be recommending you for. I will feel more qualified to assess your graduate-level ability in some fields, but not others (i.e. if you were applying for a specific science or math degree, I wouldn't feel qualified to speak to your ability to do that kind of work on the graduate level). And if the program you are planning to pursue is within the humanities, but not in my specific field, I would still likely need a bit more information about the program and/or your goals (see next point). The more information you can provide about each program, the better able your recommender will be able to speak specifically to your graduate level abilities in that program.   
2. Please provide me with a copy (or at least draft) of your letter to the school that will be accompanying your application. This is usually entitled "Statement of Purpose," though the names for this letter can vary, depending on the program/school. I ask for this so that I can see your overall goals for that program, as well as get an idea of how you link up your other course work and experience to the work you plan to do in the future. Again, the more information you can provide, the better. While I may have had you in a class or two and can speak to your abilities to do college level work in that particular subject-area, I might need additional information about your future academic goals (usually provided in these letters) that can help me better assess your ability to do graduate level work in that field. Oftentimes, resumes can also be useful additional information, but are not required. 
3. If you are applying to more than one school, I will need to know to which schools/programs you are applying. I will not write generic graduate recommendation letters. I need to know the specific program to which you are applying, because my response (and/or ability to write a letter for you) may vary depending on the school/program (i.e. Harvard versus University of Somewhere Else). Because my name and reputation are also attached to graduate recommendation letters, I would want to be as honest and specific about my assessment of your ability to do graduate level work as possible, and my assessment may vary, depending on the type of program or school you are applying for. 

If I agree to write a recommendation letter for you: 

• Please be sure to provide your request and information at least one month before your recommendation letter is due. While some faculty respond more quickly than others, you want to be sure to give each recommender plenty of time to write your recommendation letter. If in doubt, contact that individual faculty member early on and ask about their time frame. After I have received all the above, I usually need an additional two weeks to write/send the recommendation letters. 
• Most schools require that your recommender either provides his/her letter in a sealed, addressed, stamped envelope directly to the school, online (with a provided code), or in bulk (all your sealed recommendations together with your application). Be sure to check how each graduate school requires receipt of recommendations, and then provide me (and your other faculty recommenders) with whatever is necessary (i.e. an addressed, stamped, envelope or code for online recommendations). Also, because each graduate school may have different dates by which your materials are due, be sure to let your recommender know what those deadline dates are for each school. 
• Many, but not all, schools also require your recommendations to be accompanyed by a form provided by the school. Check to see if your graduate program requires any additional forms to be filled out, and if so, please be sure to provide these to me along with your request.

If you have any questions, please email me!