Writing Letters of Recommendation
Career Services will maintain letters of recommendation and send them out upon request from students. This service may prove especially convenient for those applying to several schools with letters from multiple recommenders or multiple schools using several recommenders. In addition, undergraduates who will apply in future years find it useful to have letters saved on file while they are still at Princeton.Students planning to apply to a graduate or professional school may establish a confidential credentials file with Career Services. A file serves to consolidate the process of providing each school with letters of recommendation from faculty members, teaching assistants, and other members of the Princeton University community.
Here are some guidelines to consider as you begin to write your student's letter of recommendation:
-
How do you know the student? Has he or she taken your classes? Been your advisee? assisted with your research?
-
If you have instructed the student, which classes of yours has he or she completed? What was the difficulty level of the class and how did the student perform in comparison to classmates?
-
What are the student's intellectual strengths and personal qualities? Some related qualities on which to comment include the student's ability to: work successfully in groups; conduct research; write effectively; demonstrate intellectual development throughout the semester; conduct data analysis; demonstrate leadership qualities; be creative. Does he or she clearly express opinions in class? How do other students in the class view the applicant?
-
What is the student's potential for successful graduate study? Use specific examples to give an admissions committee a clear impression of the student.
Your typed letter of recommendation should be approximately one to two pages in length. Career Services will send copies of this letter to the graduate programs the student specifies, so ask the student to what type of program he or she will apply and tailor the letter to the program type (not the specific university). Remember to ask the student for any supporting materials, such as a resume and personal statement, that might help you to write a thorough letter.