Guidelines for Requesting References for the CWS Identified Internship Programs
When requesting a letter of reference, ask the person if s/he would like to discuss your request in person. Always provide a potential referee with appropriate information to help in writing a letter. It is important to remember that the person is not required to write these letters, so be careful to give them the option to decline. Please be considerate and provide your referee ample time before the deadline to write the recommendation.
A student only needs to have her recommender submit one letter of recommendation, even if she is applying for multiple internship programs through the CWS.
Faculty/staff will find it useful to have the following information:
- A resume or fact sheet about you.
- Copies of particularly good assignments, papers or exams submitted to the faculty member.
- Information on the internship(s) or community service project(s) and the organization(s) to which you are applying.
If the person agrees to write a letter for you, please fill in the blanks and send the text below in the body of an email, not as an attachment. You should also indicate if you waive your right to read your letter of reference. While it is within your legal right not to sign a waiver, your recommender has the right to refuse to write a letter that is not confidential.
Dear____________________,
Thank you for writing a letter of recommendation for the CWS Identified Internship Programs.
____Waive my right to the letter
____I do not waive my right to the letter
To the recommender, please include the following information in your recommendation:
- In what capacity and for what length have you known this student?
- One a scale of 1 to 4, would you recommend this student where 1) is: strongly recommend 2) recommend 3) recommend with reservation (please explain) and 4) do not recommend (please explain)
- What strengths do you believe this student will bring to her internship?
- Do you believe that the applicant has the necessary experience and maturity to complete an internship?
- Any additional comments
You will only need to write one reference for this student, even if the student is applying to multiple internship programs through the CWS.
Recommendations should be sent by FirstClass email to: cws-internship-personal-reference. This is a closed conference and can only be viewed by CWS staff. Questions should be directed to Tere Ramos: tramos@wellesley.edu or ext. 2607.
Please click here for a Microsoft Word (.doc) version of these instructions.