If you answered yes, please check out my process
You’re applying for a fellowship, an educational program, or a job - Congrats! That’s awesome!
Before we start: Most application websites allow you, as the applicant, to check a box saying you waive your rights to see your letters – I recommend you do this. If you choose not to waive your rights it sends up a red flag to the committee and looks weird. If you are not sure if your writer can provide a good letter for you, pick another letter writer. Only choose letter writers that know you well enough to write a good, personal letter as generic letters can be the “kiss of death” for your application.
I am happy to write letters for students, but I want to make sure that I can write a strong letter. I do not want to hurt a student’s application with a generic or bland letter. I will never write anything negative (it is a letter of recommendation, not an evaluation), but if I cannot say anything more than “Person W was my student in Class X during Semester Y and earned a grade of Z” then I am not a good writer for you. In addition to the actual letter, many places ask a series of questions for me to answer about the student. Almost all applications ask me to compare you to all other students that I’ve taught over the years. Others are very specific: “Describe a specific situation where you have observed the applicant using critical thinking skills or applied a new skill” or “How would you describe the applicant’s leadership skills?” or “Rate this student’s originality and intellectual creativity.” If I don’t know you well enough to speak to these questions, you probably should find someone who does to write a letter for you.
If you feel I know you well enough to provide a good letter, please fill out all the LoR Request Form. If the question does not apply, just write NA. It may be a good idea for us to meet in person to chat about your application.
Just for your own peace of mind, I am aware of bias in letters of recommendation and make it a point to continually check myself when writing (links for gender bias, general biases, another on gender bias, and racial bias.
Also, please note, I do not write letters that are given directly to the student. I will submit letters to websites/management sites, send them to email addresses, and mail them via snail mail, but I will not provide the letter directly to the student to take on interviews or to turn in themselves.