Requested information for letters of recommendation and other references

This document is available at <http://rebelsky.cs.grinnell.edu/recommendation.html>.

• Last modified 24 January 2024
• Original version by Samuel A. Rebelsky on 3 November 1997 (newly arrived at Grinnell)
• Based on an earlier version by Samuel A. Rebelsky (used at Dartmouth)
• Based on an earlier version by Freda Rebelsky (used at BU)

Note: If you ask me to write you a letter of recommendation or to serve as a reference, you are implicitly granting me permission to talk to people about your grades and academic performance.

I've found that a surprising number of students ask me to write letters of recommendation or to serve as a reference for them, even though they may have only taken one course with me, and that may have been an introductory or very large course. (At Grinnell, I don't have really large courses, but at Dartmouth some courses had more than ninety students.) In order to write the strongest possible letter of recommendation or successfully discuss a student with a recruiter, I find that it helps if my students provide me with the following information.

• You need not provide all of the information I've asked for, nor write long essays. However, the more information you give me, the better a letter I can write.
• It helps if you provide most of this information, even if you're only asking me to serve as a reference.
• If you can't be bothered to spend the thirty minutes responding to this form, I'm not sure why you should expect me to spend hours writing letters of reference or preparing for and conducting phone conversations. [Sorry if that seems harsh, but it's much harder to write letters or serve as a phone reference without this info.]
• We've been told that thinking about these topics in advance helps students write better letters and interview better.
• Make sure to speak well of yourself; if you do not think that you are good and deserving of the position for which you are applying, how can anyone else? If you have trouble saying good things about yourself, sit down with a close friend and have that friend help you.
• The College asks me to ask you to provide me with a FERPA Release.
• I generally ask before disclosing personal attributes, but it helps if you let me know whether there are things you'd prefer I not discuss.

Your note should include:

• Your name and current address.
• Your pronouns. (I probably know them, but I'd like to be sure.)
• The current date.
• A transcript or list of grades. It need not be complete and certainly doesn't have to be registered.
• An autobiography or statement, if you've written one.
• A list of places and addresses to which I should send letters. [This list is not needed for phone references.] I consider it important that I address each letter, and if you don't provide these addresses, I need to spend time looking them up. I do not need pre-addressed envelopes; in most cases, I'd rather use department stationary. (These days, most letters are electronic. Custom suggests that it's still appropriate to include physical addresses.)
• The deadline for each letter. [Not needed for references.] I tend to let deadlines slip, so please remind me a few days before and after the deadline! If I haven't told you that I've sent the letters, I haven't.
• The type of recommendation (school, job, general file, ...). If you're me to serve as a phone or email reference, some warning about the kinds of jobs you're looking for would be helpful.
• The basis of our contact
  • Formal courses (include title, grade, special aspects of your performance)
  • Independent study
  • Teaching assistant
  • Informal contact
  • ...
• Why you've asked me to recommend you. This response can be as simple as The only A I ever received was in your class or The position wants evidence of computer expertise. If you did particularly interesting things in my classes, please remind me of them because my memory isn't what it used to be.
• Academic achievements. Tell me about your grades (GPA), major, strengths and weaknesses. Suggest how your academic background has prepared you for the position for which I'm recommending you. Include anything special or unique about your academic background.
• Nonacademic background. Tell me about your jobs, hobbies, sports, community work, political or social involvements, travel, etc.
• Primary personal/social traits. Please list five. If you can't describe yourself, think about how would a friend would describe you or ask friends to describe you.
• Primary academic/work traits. Please list five. If you can't describe yourself, think about how a colleague or professor would describe you.
• Answers to the following questions
  • What would you like to be doing with your life in ten years?
  • If you get the position that you're applying for, and it turns out to be harder or less satisfying than you expected, what will you do?
  • If you don't get anything you apply for, what will you do?

In some cases, I write recommendations for students who have what I'd call "hiccups" in their history (e.g., low grades). It helps if we discuss those and consider whether and you'd like me to address them.

The final questions I took verbatim from Freda's form. While they are a little odd, we've found the answers students give are often both useful and enlightening.

• What about your emotional stability and maturity?
• What about your character?
• What else should I know about you?