When you pursue any reputed study abroad program, you have to be prepared with super impressive recommendation letters, besides other documents such as SOP, resume and essays. Apart from your academic and professional endeavours, the admission panel wants to know you holistically as a student and professional and that is where the role of your recommendation letters comes into the picture. So here in this write up, we are going to take you through a few important tips to make your recommendation letters super impressive.
1. Be Sure to Know Your Chosen Course Well!
Who you choose to be your recommender will largely depend on the course you are going to pursue. The recommender preferably should have taught you related subjects and thus, should be able to talk in detail about your projects and other academic endeavours in their respective subjects. It adds immense value when your recommender talks about your acumen and flair for nuances of the subject you are going to study in your future studies as well. This is why you must be mindful of the course you are going to pursue.
2. Select Your Recommenders Wisely
Before zeroing upon your recommenders, you must be sure that they know your achievements and are ready to write a favourable letter for you. You must have known the recommender for at least six months before asking them to write a recommendation for you. Your recommender should be someone you have worked closely with so they can talk about your skills, acumen and personality in detail.
3. Ensure to Provide Relevant Information to Your Recommenders
Do provide relevant information to your recommenders. Even if your recommender knows you well, there are high chances that they do not remember your each score, endeavour and achievement. Equip them well with adequate information about your profile before they start writing your recommendation. It will make the process easier for you and them. Provide them with your resume and a document mentioning the list of your academic achievements, projects, internships, GPA, extracurricular activities, honorary contributions along with a submission date.
4. Be Aware of the Structure of Recommendation Letters
Your recommendation letter needs to start with an introduction where your referee will introduce themselves and their relationship with you. They also have to mention the duration they have known you for and a general outline of your personality. The next part is the content that shall talk about your academic background, activities and other achievements. Then shall come the closing of the letter where the referee will vouch for your application and end with their contact details.
5. Know What to Include in Your Recommendation Letter
The most important thing you have to include in your recommendation are examples. You don’t just list your skills but also back them up with relevant instances and examples. This is what will make your application different from others. Another smart move to make is to get two recommenders to write about two different skills sets backed with examples. Doing this will keep your recommendation letters away from duplication while adding value to your application.
There are many more crucial points to be considered while going for your LORs; and we shall definitely cover them in our subsequent articles. Now that you are finding yourself in a comfortable space as far as preparing your recommendation letter is concerned, start making note of the important and relevant information you know your recommendation should include. Also make a list of the recommenders you think you should approach on the basis of the course you are looking to pursue and of course, your rapport with the recommender. With this, team Study Destination wishes you all the very best for your future journey!
