Transcript: check. Application form: check. Personal essay: check. Recommendation: well...
At times more daunting than the request for grades and that ubiquitous personal statement, students cringe when they see the dreaded line - "give this faculty report form to a professor who knows your work well and can speak to your ability to meet the rigorous demands of" the-program-scholarship-school-job you're dying to get into.
However stressing it is to get, though, a strong faculty recommendation can round out an internship, scholarship, fellowship or graduate school application - and maybe even add that extra something special. Recommendation letters allow programs to "look at the student's personal ambitions and passions - not just grades," said Andrea Young, University Career Services extern coordinator.
UCS used to keep personal records, such as transcripts and recommendations, the old-fashioned way - hard copies of documents stowed in filing cabinets. But since mid-2000 UCS has partnered with Interfolio.com, a Web site that stores recommendations, along with other application materials, online.
Now, students who subscribe to the service have 24-hour access to their electronic files.
Electronic storage is a simple process, said Frank Wood, a manager at Interfolio.
"There are three main ways professors can interact with the system: electronically upload, mail or fax," Wood said.
Students ask faculty members to send letters of recommendation to Interfolio. After Interfolio receives all the application material, students may customize each application by selecting which documents to send.
Interfolio subscribers pay an annual fee in addition to a fee for sending out each application file - a cost that varies depending on how far and how fast it needs to be sent. With some schools and organizations requesting multiple copies of application materials, Wood said, for example, that it is cheaper to use Interfolio to send a 20-page document than it would be to make all the copies at Kinkos.
But before students can store a recommendation, they need a recommendation that can be stored. If students begin to collect such letters early in their college careers, it can pave the way for a smooth application process later.
Over the past four years, fourth-year Engineering student Mikael Gartner has applied for numerous scholarships, internships and academic programs. So when the seasoned veteran applied to civil engineering masters degree programs across the country this past fall, he knew exactly how to approach someone for a recommendation.
"The most important thing is to find professors who know you and your work well, both inside and outside the classroom," Gartner said.
The first step to getting strong recommendations is to ask the right professors to write them.
"Students should go to professors who can really comment on the individual," Economics Prof. Jason Taylor said.
Teaching two 500-person sections, Taylor said he does not have opportunities to get to know many of his students. Occasionally, some students that Taylor has never met will approach him for reference letters. Taylor advises these students to find professors from smaller classes who can better comment on their work related to the program to which they are applying.
Young said students in larger classes should try to establish personal contact with their professors early in the semester, which can make students more comfortable approaching a professor for a recommendation when the time comes.
"Face-to-face meetings are the best for the first meeting," Gartner said. "It makes a personal contact that will be helpful for both parties."
The best time to meet a professor is either after class or during office hours. When making a request, students should be polite and direct - describing the program and clearly stating the deadlines are critical components of the initial meeting.
Usually a detailed resume aids a professor in writing for a student. A brief summary of the program or scholarship that requires the recommendation letter also can prove helpful, and Taylor recommends that students provide professors with a PACE form or transcript. This added background enables the professor to write a letter that details why the candidate is well-suited for a particular program or scholarship, he added.
Some students prefer to provide professors with a writing sample. Second-year College student William Sowers decided to give an old paper to the professor who is writing him a reference letter for the environmental thought and practice major.
The writing sample "is tailored to the program the recommendation is for and will give the professor a better idea of my knowledge in the field," Sowers said.
Depending on the nature of the program, faculty members will find different materials useful when writing a recommendation. Second-year College student Ian Amelkin sometimes refers professors to TAs who can comment on his work. However, resumes, transcripts, program summaries and writing samples are the materials that professors most commonly request.
Deadlines are crucial for all programs and scholarships - applicants should be aware of each application's due date. Physics Prof. Louis Bloomfield recommends that students ask him at least two weeks before the due date. This allows for ample time and thought to be put into the recommendation. For students who have a very close working relationship with the recommendation writer, Bloomfield said students should give at least a month's notice so that a more detailed and specific letter can be written.
Bloomfield said that with less than a week's heads-up, a professor can feel rushed - probably not the best state of mind for a "recommender." If such an "emergency" case arises, the student should apologize for the late notice and explain why he could not have notified the writer earlier, Bloomfield said.
Furthermore, the student must make sure the writer knows the proper instructions for the letter. For example,some programs require the writer to send the recommendation to the institution, while others specify that the applicant should submit the letter along with the rest of the application.
Ensuring that the recommendation has been written also is important.Gartner said that e-mail often is the best means of communication for a check-up. For his recommendation letters, Gartner sent faculty members e-mails a few days before the deadlines.
Young said that after the faculty member completes the letter, the student should immediately send a thank you letter. Extravagant gifts are unnecessary, but faculty members enjoy receiving a letter of gratitude. Young also recommends that students let recommendation writers know if the program or scholarship accepted them.
And then maybe you can check-off both "recommendation" and "dream job-scholarship-school" on that list.
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