Estimated reading time: 5 mins
It’s understood that students must write various academic papers to earn grades and have a high academic score. However, teachers also write certain papers, and some of them are written for students. Thus, students frequently ask their teachers to write a letter of recommendation for graduate school. This is a specific piece of writing written by a person who knows you and can recommend a certain program of a grad school. Thus, students hope to earn additional grades that will help them to get accepted. Other students ask to write recommendation letters to get into a college or university.
Mind that a letter of recommendation serves other purposes. Thus, college professors write them for employers to help their students to receive the desired job. Some people want to be transferred to other firms or even change their job. Thus, their bosses or colleagues also write them. Some people may not have great writing skills and so, professional letter writing services may help them to successfully face this challenge.
One of the top bloggers at AdvancedWriters.com – professional letter writing service, Joan Young, has disclosed this issue in her post. Joan Young is an aspiring journalist, copywriter and professional essay writer with a deep interest in business, sociology, inventions, and technological progress. Sometimes she provides online tutoring sessions to international students and finds immense pleasure in witnessing their writing progress. Some of her insights can be found in her author’s column on its blog.
Make Sure You Know the Student
Our first tip for writing a good letter of recommendation is to be always selective. Don’t assure every student who asks you about this favor that you’ll write a letter to him or her. You may not know that every student pretty well. Accordingly, you may fail to compose his/her true story and spoil everything. The members of the admission committee will instantly understand when some letter doesn’t sound natural. Therefore, agree to write only if you know the student good enough.
Besides, make sure your student helps you to write a letter. He or she is expected to provide you with supporting materials. We will discuss them later in this article.
Consider Your Lexicon
Another vital tip to follow is to pay attention to your language. We’re quite sure that you are a wise and knowledgeable teacher who doesn’t make grammar and spelling mistakes. Therefore, we advise to give heed to the word choice that may spoil the general impression from your letter.
You’re supposed to use vivid lexicon to make your letter of recommendation readable and easy to understand. If you describe all the qualities and traits of a student with the same words, the letter will be boring. Moreover, the admission committee members may subconsciously think that there’s nothing special about the applicant.
Make sure you choose appropriate words that clearly illustrate a concrete trait. Besides, your words should be true. Don’t try to make out of a student somebody he/she is not. If he/she lacks creativity or leadership skills, miss these points. Don’t write – A student is always ready to propose creative ideas and can lead the whole class. You’d better focus on his/her real qualities and clearly emphasize their value. It’s also vital to:
- Avoid clichés and stereotypes;
- Never lie to the committee;
- Avoid overly complex terms;
- Write short and clear sentences;
- Avoid irrelevant facts, etc.
Edit Your Letter
We can bet you constantly repeat that your students should always check and double-check their essays and other papers. You should be honest and consistent. In other words, you should follow this advice and also edit your writing.
Although you are a competent teacher, nobody is ensured from making small mistakes. Perhaps you’ve missed some comma or some of the parts don’t fit the rest of what you’ve written. Besides, you should look through your notes and compare with the final version. It may be quite possible that you have forgotten to mention some important facts about your student. Remember that every detail may be decisive. Therefore, obligatorily reread what you’ve written. Your student counts on your professional help!
Describe the Main Qualities and Skills
Undoubtedly, one of the most important parts a teacher should play is to describe the best traits and skills of a student. Here again, you’re supposed to know your student very well. Here are the main qualities you should describe:
- Intellectual characteristics;
- Knowledge of the field of study;
- Industry and self-discipline;
- Personal effectiveness;
- Potential for graduate study.
We also recommend reading samples. The theory may be clear and useful enough to have a general idea. Nonetheless, it’s always better to see how other teachers and professors compose grad recommendation letters to avoid mistakes.
Special Tips for Students
If you’re a student and you want to ask your teacher to write a recommendation letter, you should know how to do that correctly. You cannot simply come and order: Write it for me! Remember that teachers spend their free time writing a letter and they aren’t obliged to write it. Therefore, be polite and kindly ask to devote precious time to fulfill your request.
Another step to take is to provide your teacher with the necessary information. He/she may not be aware of all your qualities and achievements. If you want to get written a winning letter of recommendation, you should provide the following facts:
- A resume written by you;
- All your academic achievements and grades;
- Your extracurricular or volunteer activities;
- Personality traits and qualities;
- The date of the letter submission.
Memorize these essentials and tips for recommendation letter writing to provide your teacher with exact facts concerning your persona. If you’re a teacher, you should ask your students to provide this data if they forget about it. Thus, you’ll make this task easier and will be able to write a great letter of recommendation for graduate school.
