Recommendation Letters
Welcome to Writing Recommendation Letters Online
A Handbook for Faculty
Building on the foundation laid by the popular earlier print editions of his faculty handbook on writing recommendation letters, Joe Schall digs deeper in this new online edition, addressing issues ranging from the ethical considerations faculty wrestle with when writing letters to the new challenges posed by the information age. Citing sources ranging from The Chronicle of Higher Education to refereed journal articles to excerpts from listserv discussions among scholarship directors, this handbook advises faculty on the best practices when writing letters for students, as well as informs writers about nine of the nation’s top scholarships and the detail that selectors crave in winning scholarship reference letters
Preface
Half my life is an act of revision.
—John Irving
About 30 years ago, a few months after I graduated from college, I was surprised to receive a packet in the mail one day containing copies of letters of recommendation my professors had written for me. Even though I had waived my right to see the letters, I had used a placement service that helped graduates apply for teaching jobs, and once I had my first teaching job I cancelled my use of the service. By what I assume was an administrative error, copies of all my job application materials, including my recommendation letters, were then sent to me. Once I realized that I was looking at my own confidential letters of recommendation, I had an ethical decision to make. Should I destroy the letters, return them, or read them?
Of course I read them, and what I learned about how others saw me was illuminating. I discovered that I was a fine teacher, of average intellect, a “determined fellow with a highly evolved work ethic,” and a “good sport” (that from my rugby coach). The letters were candid, warm, and personal—I’d chosen my recommenders well and attended a small school where faculty got involved with
A Handbook for Faculty
Building on the foundation laid by the popular earlier print editions of his faculty handbook on writing recommendation letters, Joe Schall digs deeper in this new online edition, addressing issues ranging from the ethical considerations faculty wrestle with when writing letters to the new challenges posed by the information age. Citing sources ranging from The Chronicle of Higher Education to refereed journal articles to excerpts from listserv discussions among scholarship directors, this handbook advises faculty on the best practices when writing letters for students, as well as informs writers about nine of the nation’s top scholarships and the detail that selectors crave in winning scholarship reference letters
Preface
Half my life is an act of revision.
—John Irving
About 30 years ago, a few months after I graduated from college, I was surprised to receive a packet in the mail one day containing copies of letters of recommendation my professors had written for me. Even though I had waived my right to see the letters, I had used a placement service that helped graduates apply for teaching jobs, and once I had my first teaching job I cancelled my use of the service. By what I assume was an administrative error, copies of all my job application materials, including my recommendation letters, were then sent to me. Once I realized that I was looking at my own confidential letters of recommendation, I had an ethical decision to make. Should I destroy the letters, return them, or read them?
Of course I read them, and what I learned about how others saw me was illuminating. I discovered that I was a fine teacher, of average intellect, a “determined fellow with a highly evolved work ethic,” and a “good sport” (that from my rugby coach). The letters were candid, warm, and personal—I’d chosen my recommenders well and attended a small school where faculty got involved with