Getting a good letter of recommendation (LOR) is an important part of the graduate school admissions process. As a professor, writing LORs for students is one of the highlights of my job. Prospective grad students need excellent letters, and many students don’t realize that all LORs are NOT created equal. I will only ever agree to write an LOR for students I know will excel in grad school and whom I can confidently recommend.
To help me balance time constraints with my LOR standards, I have the following policy regarding LOR requests. Note that the following requirements are for students requesting an LOR but do NOT work in my lab. Research assistants are not held to this policy.
- Student must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0
- Student must have had at least 2 classes with me
- Student must have achieved at least an A- in each class
- Student must have attended office hours or met me for advisement prior to requesting a LOR
- All student LORs must be requested at least 6 weeks prior to the application deadline
- Student LORs will only ever be disseminated by me and I do not provide students copies of my LORs under any circumstance.
* I also strongly recommend students waive their right to view LORs in their application packets – however this is not a requirement for receiving an LOR from me*
Please keep in mind that this policy is there to help you be confident that you are receiving a good LOR. Don’t be offended if I do not agree to write you a letter – it’s likely a case of me not knowing you well enough to be able to confidently recommend you. As always feel free to reach out to me with questions/concerns.