Check out these recommendation letter recommendations from our UHP Director, Professor Bethany Kung!
Thinking about applying for an internship? A fellowship? A study abroad semester? A job? You will almost certainly need a recommendation letter or two (or more!) to support your application. Honors faculty members are often a great choice for writing your recommendation letters, but consider the following dos and don’t when it comes to recommendation letters:
- Do plan way ahead! Even if you aren’t currently applying for anything, odds are that you will eventually need some references or letters of recommendations. Each and every faculty you interact with, therefore, is a potential recommender. If you think and plan ahead, you should be able to count on strong recommendation letters from at least 2 or 3 different faculty members at GW.
- Do ask for letters of recommendation from faculty members that know you and your aptitudes! These are typically faculty members with whom you have developed a relationship beyond just attending their class – you went to office hours, you joined in on a “Faculty on the Town” event, you asked questions about the class material beyond what was on the syllabus, etc.
- Don’t ask for letters or recommendation from faculty members just because you enjoyed their class or just because you got a good grade in their class. If you never went to office hours and didn’t actively build a relationship with that faculty member, then they probably don’t know you as an individual and won’t be able to write you a strong letter.
- Don’t ask for a letter or recommendation from a faculty member you have not spoken to in many years. If you’ve kept in contact with a faculty member at least on occasion then it is okay to ask for a letter even if it’s been a few years since you took a class with them.
- Do consider a faculty member’s field, but don’t be limited by it. Whenever possible, It makes sense to get at least one recommendation letter from a faculty member in a field related to whatever you are applying to but it is almost always better to have a letter from a faculty member who actually knows you then just from someone in the “right” field.
- Don’t assume you can only ask for a recommendation letter if you earn an A in a course! The exact grade you got in a course is less important than how much of an impression you made. Imagine two students. “Student 1” goes through the motions of the class, doing what is required but never showing any particular interest or engagement with the subject. “Student 2,” on the other hand, struggles on the first exam or paper, but comes regularly to office hours to get extra help, asks questions above and beyond the class material out of genuine curiosity, and shows significant improvement in their understanding of the material on the second exam or paper. Student 1 might earn a higher grade in the course, but most faculty members would be able to write a much, much stronger letter of recommendation for Student 2.
- Do assume that one of your most important letters of recommendation will come from your thesis advisor. Choose your thesis advisor carefully and cultivate a strong relationship with them (if possible, even before the semester in which you write your thesis).
Some nuts and bolts to consider when asking for a recommendation letter:
- Whenever possible, make sure faculty have at least a month’s notice before the recommendation letter is due.
- Be gracious if a faculty member declines to write a letter for you.
- If a faculty member indicates that they will not be able to write you a strong letter of recommendation it is best to thank them for their consideration and ask a different faculty member instead.
- Once a faculty member has agreed to write a letter for you, provide them with information about what you are applying for and why you are applying. Also send the faculty member your resume/CV.
- Communicate clearly to faculty about how many letters are needed, where/how to submit each letter, and the due date of each letter.
- About a week before your letter is due, if you do not know if a faculty member has already submitted a letter, send them a polite reminder email.
Here are some ways that you can help ensure that faculty have a positive reason to remember you by the end of the semester:
- Be mindful of how you address and interact with your professors. Remember that it is better to err on the side of being overly professional, even with a friendly professor. Unless a faculty member has stated a different preference, address faculty as “Professor Last Name.” Note that starting emails with “hello there, First Name”, or without any greeting may be perceived by some as rude. Always end the email with “thank you,” “sincerely,” or “best wishes” rather than “cheers.”
- Be consistently engaged in class – active listening is as important as contributing!
- Be consistently respectful and supportive of your peers.
- Consider every piece of class work as an opportunity to make a good impression, even small assignments like discussion board posts. Show your interest and engagement by being thoughtful with every submission and demonstrate respect by carefully following instructions and only submitting clear and well-proofread work.
- Recognize that mistakes and failures can lead to learning if you take feedback seriously and if you seek out new learning strategies if your old ones aren’t working.
- Admit when you need extra help, and seek it out.
- Attend office hours regularly. Everyone should use office hours as a chance to get to know the faculty, but office hours are particularly important if you are a student who tends to be more reserved during class time or if you are more comfortable talking to a faculty member one-on-one.
- Find other ways to connect. For example, if you happen upon an interesting news article that relates back to class material, you could send your faculty member a message with a link to the article with a few sentences about how you found it interesting and connected to class. Faculty might not always have time to respond, but they’ll definitely have seen your name.
