You have written your Personal Statement and filled in the application form, and all that is left is to upload your references. Let us look at this from two perspectives – yours and that of the referee.
References – the student’s role
The first thing you need to consider is who to ask to act as your referee. The aim of a reference is two-fold: to provide a positive appraisal of your abilities and to endorse your application. This means that you must decide who knows you best on the staff, and who is a position to evaluate your academic work.
In order to help your referee, it is useful to meet them, and explain where you are applying and why. It is important to give them an idea of your long-term plans. What is more, you could also hand over a list of your extracurricular and volunteering experiences, as well as any additional projects you have been involved in outside the classroom, your achievements etc. You do not need to provide them with any material which they can already access, such as exam results or grades. Have an open conversation with your referee. Let them get a full picture of why studying a particular course is important to you, and what you hope to achieve.
Make sure you ask for the references in good time, and not at the last minute. This is an important part of your application, so you cannot expect the references to be produced overnight.
What to do next:
Whatever you do, do NOT print out an internet sample letter of recommendation and ask your referee to fill in the blanks. Admissions boards will turn you down instantly if you plagiarise (copy) references, using a template. The whole point of a letter of recommendation is to get to know you and what you have done and offer the university, so any information it contains has to be personal.
Finally, check if the university to which you are applying has any specific formatting requirements of references – word or page length, number of paragraphs etc. If they do, let your referee know!
References – the role of the referee
If a student asks you to write a letter of recommendation and, in all honesty, you believe that you do not know them well enough, or cannot write positively about their academic work, then reject their request. It is far better to say no, than to reluctantly type out a lukewarm references, which will simply weaken their application.
Make sure you take the time to understand why they are applying for a particular course. You will need to highlight completely different characteristics if they want to do medicine, than if they are choosing to study fashion.
There is a structure of references to follow:
- Do not address the letter to Dear Sir or Dear Admissions Committee, but write To Whom it May Concern in the title, followed by a colon (:)
- Start by introducing yourself, noting your position, what you teach, the length of time you have known the student and in what capacity (classroom teacher, supervisor, teacher of history etc). For example: “Jane has been my student since 2019, when she first enrolled on the history and philosophy course I teach at X school”. Try to keep your qualifications short, this document is not about you.
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The next paragraph should cover skills and attitudes because you are trying to describe the student’s work ethic and personal qualities. Is “Jane” an outstanding student (WHY?), does she have sophisticated critical thinking, read around the subject, come to class well-prepared, play an active role in discussions, volunteer to present topics, excel at lab work, for example? What, in short, makes her stand out from the rest of her year group?
Important to know:
Important to know:
- Adjectives are not enough. It is helpful if you add concrete examples in this section. For example, if you are stating that the student is creative and artistic, this begs the question of what was created or why it was artistic. Perhaps Jane designed all the flyers or costumes for a school play, or maybe she set up a series of exciting experiments for visitors to the school open day to try? Perhaps her vision and imagination inspire others during team working projects, and make her a natural and trusted leader? Draw on any unique examples of what the student contributed and the areas in which they excelled. If the student was a class representative, the way in which they communicated, engaged and liaised with others is useful information, as are any goals they succeeded in achieving in that role.
- The third paragraph focusses on personality, which is reflected in their relationships with others, their social engagement, any voluntary work or work experience they may have had, and what all these features tell us about the student. Think about energy, input, ethics, attitudes and character. Is the student someone you can count on to hand their work in on time, to make additional efforts, to support their peers and to play a part in the greater community? Paint a picture.
- Finally, in the last paragraph provide contact details using the traditional format: “Please do not hesitate to contact me, should you need any additional information”. Do NOT sign off with Yours Sincerely or Yours Faithfully, etc. but simply give your name and your position, followed by an email address and a telephone number. Thus: Ann Ridgeway, Professor of English, University of Norwich, a.ridgeway@hotmail.com, +481234567
Check the spelling and grammar and read through what you have written one last time.
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Common mistakes found in letters of recommendation/references
- Do not mention race, age, nationality, religion, health issues or marital status
- Even if you are well aware that a student has certain weaknesses try to avoid writing about them, this is, after all, meant to be an endorsement, not a critique.
- Make sure your reference is not too short, and try to aim for 500 words.
- In spite of the fact that a letter of recommendation is an official document, and you should definitely avoid slang, humour and hippy-talk, the following examples demonstrate that there are exceptions to the rule.
“This person is going to move mountains. And she will do it regardless of whether she graduates with an MBA or not. Therefore, it is critical that she be given admission.”
“The finest mind of a whole generation”
There is also the famous letter written about John Nash, Nobel Prize winner extraordinaire, who asked his professor for a reference to Princeton, which bluntly confirmed his age and stated “he is a mathematical genius” – nothing more!
Letters of recommendation/references – a summary
These helpful documents are an intrinsic part of every application to study at a university, and have some weight with admissions committees, so make sure you give yourself enough time to request or write them. Personalise the information you provide or include, and keep the language clear and simple.
Good luck!
