Faculty Guide to Letters of Recommendation

Thank you for agreeing to write a letter of recommendation. Letters are essential to an application because they supply review committees with information and details that the application form, and even the student, cannot.

NOTE: If you do not feel that you can write a strongly supportive letter of recommendation, please tell the student. This will be kinder to you both. You will not waste your time, and the student will be able to find a recommender who can fully endorse him or her.

Basic Outline for a Letter of Recommendation:

Date

Inside Address

Salutation

If no information is given, please use “Dear Scholarship Selection Committee” or “Dear
(insert scholarship name) Selection Committee.”

Background of how you know the applicant:

What is your relationship to the applicant?
How long have you known the applicant?
How well do you know the applicant?
In what capacity have you known the applicant?

Description of the applicant’s accomplishments:

What are the applicant’s academic achievements, and how have you observed these first-hand?
How do the student’s grades, test scores, research, and writing illustrate achievement? Are there some exceptional examples you can share?
What honors, scholarships or awards has the applicant received?

Description of the applicant’s service and leadership accomplishments:

In what extracurricular activities is the applicant involved?
How has the applicant demonstrated commitment to the community?
How has the applicant demonstrated leadership qualities?

Closing statement and summary of applicant’s potential:

Has the applicant lived up to his or her potential?
If not, what evidence can you provide to demonstrate that he or she will?

Complimentary Closing (Yours truly, etc.)

Signature Space

Name and Title

Your title should show why your recommendation has credibility (Professor of…, etc.).

Further Resources for Letters of Recommendation:

Resources from the Office of Prestigious Scholarship:

Scholarship Information (http://opsf.byu.edu)

We have concise descriptions of scholarships as well as links to official websites.

Information & Feedback

The student should provide you with information about formatting and submission. We can also review letters of recommendation if you would like feedback or have questions or concerns.

Handouts

Letter of recommendation handouts are available online (http://opsf.byu.edu/) or outside of 102 MSRB.

How to Choose and Approach Someone to Ask for a Letter of Reference
An Effective Recommendation…
Recommendation Letter Formatting and Length
Various packets specific to scholarships (i.e. Marshall, Rhodes, Fulbright)

*These are taken from Joe Schall’s “Writing Recommendation Letters” and are only available in photocopied format.

Fulbright
Gates-Cambridge
George J. Mitchell
Goldwater
Jack Kent Cooke
Marshall
Morris K. Udall
National Science Foundation
Rhodes
Truman

Internet

Guidelines for Writing Letters of Recommendation—Berkeley

Guidelines for Writing Letters of Recommendation—Linda Kaiser, U of Missouri- Columbia

Letters of Recommendation—Humboldt State University

Recommendation Letters—University of Massachusetts Amherst

Writing Letters of Recommendation—About.com

Writing a Letter of Recommendation—Michael Ernst, MIT

What Makes for Strong Letters of Recommendation—Worcester Polytechnic Institute

BYULinks

Undergraduate Education

OPSF