Writing the Letter

Admissions committees have suggested the following guidelines:

• Limit reference letters to 1-2 pages in length.
• Indicate the capacity or setting in which you know the student (e.g., classroom, lab, co-curricular, work) as well as the length of time and the quality of the interaction.
• Frame your comments within the context of the student’s purpose for the letter—for example, graduate school admission vs. employment.
• Provide comments that are objective, eliminating as much subjective information as possible.
• Refrain from commenting on general moral character so as not to risk any claims of defamation.
• Support your views regarding the student’s strengths, talents as well as areas for growth with evidence and concrete examples.
• If you are aware of extenuating circumstances that impacted the student’s academic progress, obtain the student’s written permission to disclose that information.

Graduate school admissions committees have indicated that they are particularly interested in learning the context in which writers are evaluating the students (e.g., level of course difficulty, grading criteria, ranking among all students in a class or even in your academic career). Your assessment of the student’s attributes, such as scholarship, future intellectual promise, consistency of performance, communication, social skills and work behaviors, are also deemed very valuable.

Employers may be interested in some of these same qualities but are also likely to expect information on specific abilities relevant to the position being sought. You may want to highlight areas such as writing ability, analytical skills, creativity, customer service orientation, persuasive skills, task orientation, teamwork, accountability, management and supervision.