Recommendations

If you would like a letter of recommendation, please let me know at least two weeks in advance of the deadline. (If you need a recommendation over winter or summer break, I may not be able to fulfill a two week turnaround, so make sure I know well in advance of school holidays!)

I will not agree to write a letter of recommendation unless I know that I can write one that is positive. (In other words, if I am unable to write a positive letter of recommendation for you, I will inform you of that, and I will decline to write a letter.) If you’re uncertain what kind of letter I can provide, I will have a candid discussion with you over e-mail, over Zoom, or in person. But do not worry that I will send out a negative letter on your behalf without you knowing about it.

I require the following information from students who want a letter of recommendation. In other words: don’t just send me a two-line e-mail asking for a letter of recommendation without also including the following information. (If I do not receive this information, I will not write your letter.)

  • What course(s) you took with me and during what semester(s).
  • Your intended major.
  • If you took digital systems with me, let me know what your design project was.
  • If we met outside of a class (volunteer or club work), when did we first meet and in what context?
  • A link to the thing that you are applying for (job posting, scholarship, transfer, internship, etc.) that tells me what it is and where it’s at.
    • If no link exists, then I would like the title and description of what you are applying for, and where and to whom I need to address my letter.
  • A little bit of detail about exactly what you are applying for and why you are interested in the opportunity (one or two sentences is fine).
  • The due date by which you need the letter of recommendation submitted.
  • Anything else relevant that you think I should know when writing the recommendation. (For example, do you have any hobbies or work experience that makes you a good fit for this position that I otherwise wouldn’t know about?)