Faculty members are often asked to supply letters of reference for further education. These letters are an important part of your application package, and should be treated seriously.
General Guidelines
Allow at least two weeks for the faculty member to write your letter.
Be selective in your request for letters (don't request too many), as they all need to be directed to individual institutions.
Check the online application systems to verify the letters have been completed and uploaded.
Be sure to speak to your strengths, and distinguish clearly between what your qualifications and accomplishments are VS your future plans and potential.
Occasionally a faculty member will decline a request. This is uaully because they are not familiar with your work, are unable to write a positive letter (in this case, look for a different referee), or you have not provided the information necessary for the letter to be completed.
Do some research on reference letters for graduate school, so you have a better understanding of the expectations and process.
How to choose a referee?
They should be someone you worked with, or whose class you took and you did well in
Ideally they should be someone you've worked closely with (on a research project or as an RA)
Someone who can comment on your creativity and personality in addition to your work ethics and academic accomplishments
What to provide when asking for a reference letter?
Description of what you are applying for and why you're applying for it
Note any courses you took with the professor you're emailing
Your research statement or statement of interest
Your transcript
Your resume
Any forms or specific instructions (see below)
Next steps?
Check in with your referee about the status of the letter - either in person or by email
Update your referee once you hear the results of your application, whether or not you were offered the position
What we expect from a reference letter
The deadline for submission is the application deadline - January 15
The letter should be on their institution or workplace's letterhead
The upload should be a PDF, and should include a signature
