Recommendation Requests
Even before you begin your college career, the necessity of providing
references and good recommendation letters is clearly apparent. They are
required for entry to degree programs, employment positions, and funding
opportunities. While a great reference does not necessarily guarantee
employment or funding, a poor reference can impact your application in a
negative way. It is therefore in your best interest to secure the top
references and recommendation letters available to you.
Because references and recommendation letters can have such a profound
result on the outcome of a student's application, I take the writing of
recommendation letters very seriously. I receive many requests for letters
for a variety of reasons (job candidates, conferences, Ph.D. programs,
scholarships, etc.). Additionally, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act (FERPA) specifies that I cannot provide a recommendation for a student
without explicit consent. As a result, I now have guidelines for students to
follow for requesting a letter of recommendation.
If you are interested in asking me for recommendation letter, please read
the following guidelines carefully:
Guidelines
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You should have taken at least one course with me and received an A or B in
that course. Students who have received a grade lower than a B will need to
provide an especially persuasive argument as to why I should write a letter and
may want to consider other sources who may be able to write a stronger
recommendation letter.
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Download and turn in the recommendation request form found here:
NEIU Recommendation Request Form
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Requests must be made at least three weeks in advance of the deadline
for the letter. This allows me to take time to review the materials you
have provided and to put significant thought into your letter.
However, feel free to send me a reminder email a week before the letter
is due if I have agreed to write the letter and I have not yet confirmed
that it has been written and sent out.
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Provide me with a copy of your most up-to-date CV or resume. Be sure
to include information about your non-academic extra-curricular
activities, academic or non-academic honors and awards, any employment
experience, and other skills.
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Provide me with a copy of your most recent grade transcript.
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A brief written paragraph about your future goals, and why this
application/letter is of importance to you. In addition, you should
include any additional information or pertinent aspects that you would
like me to address in your letter.
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You should follow up with me regarding the status of your scholarship,
graduate school application, job application, etc (i.e. did you get the
scholarship, job, entry into the program, etc).
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Please note that I do not write generic recommendation letters. All
letters are tailored to a specific student and application
Additional Thoughts/Suggestions
After you have completed the application process, you should remember to
send a short note of appreciation to all your references. The reference
has not only put a significant amount of time and thought into writing
your letter, but you may also need a reference or another letter from
them at some point in the future.