To Say Yes or No

1. Tips for Writing Letters of RecommendationOffice of Fellowships and Undergraduate ResearchRice University

2. To Say Yes or No • Reasons to say “no”: • Your support of or knowledge about the student does not match the opportunity • You lack sufficient time to write a thoughtful letter • You have a performance-specific reason not to support the student • The student approaches you in an unprofessional manner • You have a suggestion for an alternative reference better suited to the student and the opportunity

3. Set Expectations • Establish a minimum deadline for requesting a letter • In writing or a meeting, obtain a description of the opportunity, student’s reasons for applying, and future plans • Have the student explain why he has asked you to write a letter for this specific opportunity and what he feels you contribute to his overall dossier • Ask the student to do a self-evaluation of his strengths relative to his own expectations for your letter • Ask for further information if needed

4. Be Efficient • Develop a template • Introduction: conveys your level of support for the student, explains how you know the student and for how long, and lists the characteristics/transferable skills you have seen that suggest the student’s fit for the opportunity • Body paragraphs: provide specific examples of the student displaying those characteristics • Conclusion: summarizes your endorsement, may assume a more personal tone • Create boilerplate contextual information • Specific details about the reputation of your program, the expectations of students, the nature of students who major in your program, etc. • The content of a program that you lead, objectives, number and nature of projects, etc. • A brief relevant summary of your background—both personal and professional.

5. Speak to the Criteria • The Udall Scholarship expects students to be concerned about environmental public policy. • The NSF Fellowship considers the value and efficacy of a student’s research project. • The Fulbright Scholarship expects the student to have a maturity of character for successful study abroad. • The Rhodes Scholarship and Marshall Scholarship selectors desire a “British level of evaluative candor” from letter writers.

6. When writing a character reference for an academic opportunity, address transferable skills. • Analytical thinking • Problem solving ability • Creativity • Work ethic • Communication and presentation skills • Ability to work as a team member • Success in overcoming obstacles

7. Details, Details, Details • Situate praise in specific examples of students doing and acting • Put the reader “in the moment” with the student • Avoid hyperbole and cliché—let the actions speak for themselves • Choose superlatives relevant to the behavior/action • Stay within the scope of your experience with the student • THE RESULT: you demonstrate thoughtful assessment rather than arbitrary or generic evaluation and enhance the credibility of your evaluation.

8. To Criticize or Not to Criticize • Depends on the circumstances • Evident weakness in the file • Student has plan in place to improve • Opportunity asks for a holistic eval • Requires context • Why are you sharing this information? Have you shared it with the student? • Avoid the highly negative, ambiguous, or unexplained • Limit comments to one sentence or brief paragraph

9. Avoid • Sloppy presentation of material • Too much information about you or opportunity for which the student is applying • A generic letter with no specifics about the student or a letter praising the student beyond credibility • “Coded” language or seeming criticism through omission of expected information • Unethical practice of asking students to write a letter that you sign

10. Source Schall, J., Ten Ideas for Improving Letter Writing. https://www.e-education.psu.edu/ writingrecommendationlettersonline/node/138.