Policy on Letters of Recommendation

Letter of recommendation.doc 05/05/04

     Frequently, I am asked to supply a letter of recommendation on behalf of a student applying to graduate schools, professional schools, or academic positions.  I am happy to do so if I believe my letter will help by providing an insight beyond the obvious course work and earned grades. Unfortunately, many students misunderstand the purpose of such a recommendation. 

     First-hand, long-term contact  The purpose of a recommendation is to provide the school or potential employer with an evaluation of your work ethic, dedication, academic strengths, and suitability for the profession. If you have only taken a course from me, but have had no other significant or long-term contact, then I have no basis upon which to provide a credible recommendation. Most schools or employers will quickly recognize this, and downgrade my recommendation to irrelevance despite what glowing praises it contains. Your application most likely will include transcripts and a cover letter. There is no reason for me to write a letter of recommendation just to repeat what is obvious from your transcript of courses and grades. 

     Letters based on “impressions” of you in a course are equally useless.  Guesses or hunches about who you are as a person are unfair to you and misleading to the professional schools. As part of the special opportunity available at this university, you should in your junior or senior year avail yourself of research/work experience in one of the faculty laboratories. And/or you may take the initiative and link yourself up with a faculty member on a special project (e.g., Biol 499).  These are enriching and excellent opportunities for you to get beyond just the experience of a classroom. As a by product, you will also get to know faculty members better, and they will be in a credible position to support you later when you apply to professional or graduate schools. Only when I have the benefit of such long-term, first-hand knowledge of your academic and personal character can I agree to write a letter of recommendation.  Otherwise I am merely repeating what is blatantly obvious from your transcripts.

     The Process and Conditions  If we have worked together on a long-term basis, and you believe that I can provide an honest evaluation of your qualifications, then we should meet and discuss the details. However, please be aware of the following:

1)      Lead time. Please make sure that any letter requested from me includes sufficient lead-time, measured in weeks not hours. If the deadline is too near, I may not be able to help.

2)      Template.  I may ask you to supply me with a “template”, a paragraph or two composed by you that highlights your academic and personal strengths. Amended and sorted, I might then be able to incorporate these into my letter.  Such a template allows you to flag for me particular strengths you feel should pass before the eyes of the reviewing school.  This also helps to educate me as to what the particular school expects from you the applicant.

3)      Résumé.  You should be prepared to supply me with a short account of your work, qualifications, and academic achievements.

4)      Waiver of Rights. Most recommendation forms permit you the applicant to waive your right to easily review a recommendation once it has been submitted as a confidential document.  However, some states have comprehensive laws allowing an applicant to review confidential letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf. It is your choice. But it is also my choice as well to write or not a letter of recommendation. If an applicant can read such a confidential document, then whoever fills it out will know this, and write a letter filled with glowing platitudes and empty praise. In short, letters of recommendation, open to the applicant, are useless, and I will not waste my time on them.

5)      Discussion.  Once all is in place, we should have a discussion and I will provide you with a general idea of what my letter of recommendation will cover.  At this point, if you are uncomfortable with my comments or wish to reconsider, then at your suggestion I can withhold my letter with no prejudice.

     Applicant Review.  Professional and academic committees that review your application often look for specific backgrounds and qualifications. I do not, and cannot, always know what these might be. However, if I notice a feature of your application that looks weak, and you request it, I will bring it to your attention before posting any letter of recommendation.

Prof. K. V. Kardong