8 Tips for Writing English Recommendation Letters

When you apply to universities or grad schools abroad, you'll usually be asked for two or three recommendation letters.

But

1. Who should write them?

2. What should they say?

These are questions a lot of people run into. This time we'll share how to get the recommendation letter part done efficiently.

Why recommendation letters matter

A recommendation letter verifies the applicant's performance from a third party's point of view, and checks whether it matches what the applicant submitted in the essay, SOP and CV. In other words, the letter isn't only an “evaluation”; it also serves as an objective check on whether the applicant is being “honest.”

Who should write your recommendation letters

“Rather than asking someone famous to write your letter, a recommender who knows you well will write something far more effective.”

Your recommender must know your strengths and how you study, whether your academic goals are clear, and your adaptability, creativity, character, special talents and so on.

You can ask:

1. At work: your direct boss, clients, supervisors and others who know you, or anyone who has supervised or managed you

2. At school: professors and teachers in your department

Never ask relatives or family, big-name celebrities, CEOs or anyone else who doesn't know you!

Next, here are some tips for writing recommendation letters~

7 key tips and directions for writing a recommendation letter

1. The recommender's full name and a basic introduction of the applicant

2. Explain how the recommender knows the applicant (how long, how well, in what capacity)

3. An overall assessment of the applicant: the recommender can back it up by mentioning awards the applicant has won, papers published, major academic conferences attended, and positions held in student organizations or academic groups

   For example: academic foundation, personality, character, traits, work attitude, outlook and concrete examples -> schools focus on academic potential; companies emphasize practical adaptability, etc.

4. The recommender must clearly state the applicant's status abroad (graduate student or visiting scholar), field and research direction

5. The recommender's stance must be clear

   For example: strongly recommend, or recommend with reservations

6. Use the letter to show things the application form can't

   For example: personality traits, or how you overcame a particular setback or pressure

7. Quantify performance: when you give your recommender material, provide numbers wherever you can. In other words, give your performance a benchmark

   For example: “His grades rank in the top 10%-15% of the department,” “He did very well in these courses, which require strong C++ programming skills and certain applications of Matlab”

※Tip: if your professor or supervisor doesn't know you very well, it's a good idea to prepare the key points and direction of the letter to help them focus~

If you'd like to see more sample recommendation letters, leave a comment below to encourage us~

Click the link for more detailed tips on writing English recommendation letters

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