Letter of recommendation

[lifegoeson!]

Hi,
What exactly does the recommender mean when he/she wants a template for the letter?
Does that mean I pretty much write the letter myself and the recommender fills in the blank with his/her name?
Has anyone been in this situation?

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[Chicago_predental]

It may be different for your professor, but I basically made an excel spreadsheet with awards, something memorable from their class, etc so that they had something to go off of when writing the letter. Ive never been asked to write my own letter, but the document I made just pointed out important things that Id want them to mention in their letter and then they did the rest. Good luck!

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Hi,
What exactly does the recommender mean when he/she wants a template for the letter?
Does that mean I pretty much write the letter myself and the recommender fills in the blank with his/her name?
Has anyone been in this situation?

Your recommender might be really busy at this time and that is why he/she asked for a template, outline. When in doubt why not ask for clarity on what they are asking for. The good news is they are willing.

Nancy

 

[PurpleSails]

You should definitely ask you professor for more guidelines. My professor just wanted me to give him my resume, my grades, and template composed of bullet points of certain things I wanted him to specifically address, like since he was my sculpture professor, I listed how I wanted him to specifically mention my manual skills and my success in art shows and my ability to teach other students

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It's always good to ask what specific things the professor needs to quickly draft your letter. After giving your resume, a PS draft, and a cover letter, SET UP A FOLLOW-UP APPPOINTMENT. You need to be confident this professor can write you a strong letter, and you need to be sure they are on the same wavelength.

One of my favorite examples of managing a reference letter comes from "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. Definitely look up the book where he talks about it (I linked his actual last lecture).

 

[DAT Destroyer]

It's always good to ask what specific things the professor needs to quickly draft your letter. After giving your resume, a PS draft, and a cover letter, SET UP A FOLLOW-UP APPPOINTMENT. You need to be confident this professor can write you a strong letter, and you need to be sure they are on the same wavelength.

One of my favorite examples of managing a reference letter comes from "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. Definitely look up the book where he talks about it (I linked his actual last lecture).

Thank you I am sharing with my students.