February 28, 2022
Excruciating. One phrase I usually use to explain what it is prefer to learn reference letters for Japanese European candidates to PhD and Grasp’s packages in Cambridge.
Even objectively excellent college students usually obtain uninteresting, brief, factual, nearly negative-sounding reference letters. It is a results of (A) cultural variations – we’re excellent at sarcasm, painfully good at giving direct destructive suggestions, not so good at praising others and (B) the truth that reference letters play no position in Japanese Europe and most professors have by no means written or seen a superb one earlier than.
Poor reference letters harm college students. They offer us no perception into the applicant’s true strengths, and no ammunition to assist the very best candidates in scholarship competitions or the admission course of usually. I made a decision to jot down this information for college students to allow them to share it with their professors when asking for reference letters. Though studying letters from the area is what triggered me to jot down this, mist of this recommendation needs to be typically helpful for a lot of different individuals who do not know the right way to write good educational reference letters.
Excessive-Stage Targets
- Assist the supervisor to make a case for admitting a pupil: The reference letter is essential in the entire admissions course of. In aggressive locations in Europe, there may be usually competitors not simply between candidates, but in addition between totally different analysis teams and supervisors about whose pupil will get funding. Reference letters are sometimes used as ammunition to justify selections internally, and to find out who will get prioritised for numerous scholarship and funding competitions.
- Assist put candidate’s profile into context: If you happen to write a reference letter from a area like Japanese Europe, take into account how tough it’s to match candidates from wildly totally different training methods and backgrounds. Is somebody with a 4.9/5.0 GPA from Hungary extra spectacular than somebody with a 9.5/10.0 GPA from Serbia? Your job, partly, is to elucidate to the admissions committee what the coed’s achievements imply in a world context. Don’t use abbreviations that aren’t internationally apparent. Don’t assume the reader has ever heard of your establishment. Clarify the whole lot.
Fundamental Hygiene and Format
- Confidentiality: Please don’t ask the coed to jot down their very own advice letter. Sadly, many professors do it, however that is not acceptable, particularly for the very best college students who apply to a prime establishment. You too can assume your reference letter is confidential. Do not share it with the coed immediately (Why? You in all probability need to write nicer issues than you’re snug sharing with them immediately.)
- Size: Reference letters for the very best candidates are sometimes 2 full pages lengthy. One thing that is half a web page or simply two paragraphs is interpreted as ‘weak assist’ or worse.
- Format: Though plain textual content is commonly accepted on submissions kinds, when potential, please submit a PDF on letter-headed format (the place the establishment’s emblem, identify, and so forth seem on the header). The format ought to observe the structure of a proper letter. You might handle it ‘To Whom It Could Concern,’ or ‘To the Admissions Committee,’ or to ‘Expensive Colleagues,’ or if you realize the potential supervisor, by all means make it private, handle it to them. Clearly signal the letter together with your identify and title.
- Fundamental contents: Guarantee that the letter mentions your full job title, affiliation, the candidate’s full identify, and the identify of the programme/job/scholarship they’re making use of for.
Contents
Under is an instance construction that’s usually used. (I will use Marta for instance as a result of I haven’t got a pupil known as Marta so it will not get private)
- Introduction: Just a few sentences mentioning who you are recommending  and for what program, for instance “I am writing to advocate Marta Somethingova for the Cambridge MPhil in Superior Pc Science.” The second sentence ought to clearly point out how strongly you’re recommending this candidate. Factual statements sign this can be a lukewarm advice (they requested me and I needed to write one thing). To convey your enthusiasm, you’ll be able to write one thing like ”Marta is the strongest pupil I’ve labored with within the final couple years”.
- Context, How do I do know Marta: Since when, in what capability and the way intently you’ve gotten recognized Marta. That is vital – a reference from a thesis supervisor who has labored with the coed for a 12 months is extra informative than a reference from somebody who solely met them in a single examination. If you happen to’ve accomplished a challenge collectively, embrace particulars on what number of instances you’ve got met, and so forth. What was the challenge about, how difficult was it, what was the coed’s contribution.
- Marta’s educational outcomes/efficiency, in context: How good is Marta, in comparison with different college students/individuals in the same context? Bear in mind that whoever is studying your letter might not know your nation’s marking scheme, so one thing like a GPA of 4.8 out of 5 is not all that informative. Attempt to put that in context as a lot as you’ll be able to: what number of different college students would obtain related leads to your establishment? Finest in case you may give a rank index (#8 out of a cohort of 300) relative to the entire cohort. Context in your establishment: Equally, assume the reader has no thought how selective your establishment is, so embrace a number of particulars like ‘prime/most selective pc science program within the nation’ or one thing. Attempt to put this in context by making a prediction about how effectively the coed will do within the course you are recommending them to, or how effectively they might have accomplished in a tougher program. Do your analysis right here, in case you can.
- Particulars of analysis/challenge, if relevant: If you happen to’re recommending somebody who has labored on a analysis challenge with you, embrace sufficient technical info (ideally with references or pointers) in order that the reader can decide how critical that challenge was, and what Marta’s contribution was. Don’t be concerned, no one goes to steal your analysis thought in case you write it down in a advice letter – we’re means too busy studying reference letters to do any analysis 😀
- Marta’s particular strengths: What high quality of Marta do you assume shall be first observed in an interview? Is Marta notably good at understanding advanced concepts quick? Is Marta excellent at getting issues accomplished? Or writing clear code, mentoring others? The place acceptable, attempt to deal with expertise and potential, earlier than commenting on diligence or effort: If the very first thing you write is “Marta may be very onerous working” it might be misinterpreted as a covert means of claiming she tries very onerous as a result of she is inferior to the scholars who simply get it with out a lot effort. Take heed to potential gender stereotypes that usually come up right here. E.g. she is quiet. Make a prediction about Marta’s profession prospects: She’s on a superb monitor to a tutorial profession/effectively positioned for a profession in business. Please think about what the folks studying your letter will need to see. If you happen to advocate somebody for a tutorial pure Maths program, you do not need to say the coed is effectively positioned to finish up in a boring finance job. If you happen to really feel such as you MUST, you’ll be able to embrace relative weaknesses right here, however please phrase these as alternatives of progress, and what Marta wants to enhance.
- Different/extracurricular actions: If you happen to’re conscious of different issues the coed is doing – like organising meetups, volunteering, competitions, no matter – you’ll be able to embrace them right here in case you really feel they’re related. Your job, once more, is to place these in context.
- Additional background on Marta’s training historical past: This can be helpful to assist candidates who achieved spectacular issues of their nation, however whose achievements might not make quite a lot of sense in a global context. For instance, did they go to a really selective secondary faculty recognized for some specialization? Or, on the contrary, did they do exceptionally effectively regardless of not accessing the very best training? Did they take part in country-specific olympiads or competitions? In that case, what do these outcomes imply? What number of college students do these issues? Did they get a scholarship for his or her educational efficiency? In that case, what number of college students get these? Did they take part in some sort of college exercise? In that case, what is the relevance of that? A very powerful assumption to recollect is: Whoever reads the applicant’s CV or your advice letter will know completely nothing about your nation. It’s a must to fill within the blanks, and clarify the whole lot from the bottom up. NO ACRONYMS!
- Your mini-CV: It is value together with one paragraph about your self, the referee. What’s your job title, how lengthy you’ve got been doing what you are doing, what’s your specialty, and so forth. The aim of that is to show you’re certified and capable of spot expertise. Make this as internationally engaging and significant as you’ll be able to.
- Conclusion: Right here is your probability to reiterate the power of your advice. If you happen to assume you are describing a not-to-miss candidate, say so explicitly. One sentence we regularly embrace right here is alongside the strains of ‘If Marta have been to use for a PhD/Masters underneath my supervision I might not hesitate to take her as a pupil’.
Relative rating of scholars
- Typically, reference submission web sites ask you to position the coed within the prime X% of scholars you’ve got labored with. Extra is dependent upon this than you may assume. Be sincere, however bear in mind that these judgments usually go right into a components for scoring or pre-filtering purposes. In a aggressive program, in case you say somebody is prime 20%, that’s probably a dying sentence for the coed’s possibilities of getting a scholarship. Once more, do not lie, simply be sure you do not put the coed in a decrease bucket than they actually should be in.
Writing model
- Pay attention to cultural variations in how we reward others and provides direct suggestions to/on colleagues. I usually advocate the Tradition Map guide by Erin Meyer on this subject. Although people are people, by and enormous, those that socialise within the U.S. Educational system have a tendency to jot down advice letters with the next baseline stage of enthusiasm. If you happen to really feel your letter is simply too constructive, which may be acceptable compensation for these variations, as long as your letter is sincere, after all.
- Writing model and tone are probably the most tough to get proper if you have not seen examples earlier than. I recommend you write a draft a pair weeks earlier than submitting a letter, after which return to it earlier than submitting. Re-reading after every week usually permits you to higher discover the place the letter is not conveying what you wished.
- Ask for assist! You probably have a candidate you enthusiastically assist, do not be afraid to ask for assist writing the reference letter. Ideally, ask somebody who’s skilled, would not know the candidate, and who is just not a part of the choice making on the establishment the coed is making use of.
In abstract, please take time to jot down robust advice letters in your finest college students. There will not be many college students at your establishment who apply to prime packages, however those that do are probably those who really want and deserve your consideration.
