Faculty members are faced with numerous requests to write letters of recommendation on behalf of students. For this reason, it is wise to allow at least one month for a professor to prepare a letter. If special circumstances such as an unexpected opportunity require shorter notice, ask whether it will be possible for him/her to meet your deadline. When requesting a letter of recommendation, it is helpful to set up an appointment with the professor to discuss your plans. In order to facilitate what is an extremely time-consuming process, always provide a potential recommender with appropriate information to help in writing a letter about you. Suggestions are listed below. It is important to remember that faculty members are not required to write a letter of recommendation for you, so be careful to give them the option to decline. They may feel they do not know you well enough, or that your record is not strong enough for admission to a given program.

Faculty will find it useful to have the following information:

1. A resume or fact sheet about you. Sample resumes are available in the Center for Work and Service. You might wish to add to this a brief narrative highlighting talents, skills and experiences, such as a particularly rigorous part of your record, the leadership roles which you have held, an unusual study or travel experience.

2. A transcript and a list of courses you took with the faculty member and grade(s) received

3. Copies of particularly good papers or exams submitted to the faculty member with their comments and grade.

4. Guidelines for the intellectual/personal qualities the program/fellowship to which you are applying is seeking in its applicants. If you are applying to graduate school in the faculty's academic discipline, this is not necessary.

5. A personal statement if required by the program.

6. A copy of this publication.

7. The completed Center for Work and Service or institution recommendation form. Think carefully about whether or not you want to waive your right to read your letter of recommendation. While admissions officers respect that it is within your legal right not to sign a waiver, some schools may take confidential letters more seriously. Faculty also have the right to refuse to write a letter that is not confidential.

We are aware that a substantial amount of faculty time goes toward writing letters of recommendation. The Center for Work and Service and Class Deans are eager to be helpful in this process. The preceding guidelines for students should help clarify their responsibilities in requesting recommendations from you. Experience has taught us that the answers to the following questions may be helpful in constructing an effective recommendation:

1. In what capacity and for what length of time have you known the student?

2. How would you assess the student's ability and performance in the areas pertinent to the program to which she is applying? Please give specific examples to support your evaluation.

3. Would you recommend this student for the program/fellowship to which she is applying?

Almost all graduate and professional schools will accept a general letter attached to their official form. This can be either written on college stationery or on a Center for Work and Service recommendation form. You may choose to send your recommendations directly to the program, or the student may prefer to have you send the letter to the Center for Work and Service for processing for a fee. If you are sending the letter directly to the institution, we recommend that you send a copy of your letter to the Center for Work and Service to be placed in the student's file for use at a later date .