Between applications for scholarships, graduate programs and employment, spring can be peak application time for students. As a faculty or staff member, it’s likely you’ve been asked to write letters of recommendation for students. Sometimes you may know the student well, and other times they may have just taken one class with you.
With the increase in requests you may receive, here are some tips to help make your letter-writing process easier and more efficient.
Gather information
First, confirm submission instructions, deadlines and logistics with the student. Ask the student for any other supporting materials that may be helpful for you to complete their request. This can include specific prompts for the letter, their personal statement (even in draft form), their resume and other academic or work samples.
Review work the student has done in your class including papers, projects, test results and their participation. Identify themes such as their academic strengths. If you can, meet with the student to ask additional questions:
- How does this graduate program (or internship or job) support their professional goals?
- What are the professional skills they’ve gained at CU Boulder?
- What do they bring to the program/job/internship in terms of experience, skills and knowledge?
With letters of recommendation, keep in mind the information you have about a student is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Students must give permission to discuss any aspect of their educational record. Review more information about FERPA and letters of recommendation.
Content to include in your letter
- Indicate how long you have known the student, and in what capacity. Include information about specific course(s), a brief description of the course(s) and any additional interactions (e.g. they were a TA in your class, they worked in your department or they did research with you).
- Include at least one specific example of their academic performance (e.g. writing a paper, or working on a group project) and identify any strengths and/or skills they demonstrated through this example.
- Share an overall evaluation of the student that is specific to the program or position they are seeking.
Get help from Career Services
If you don’t feel you can write a positive letter of recommendation, let the student know you are not comfortable writing the letter or don’t have enough information. Refer the student to Career Services instead. Our team of career advisors can work with the student to identify others to ask.
Additionally, bringing Career Services into your classroom is a great way to get students to start thinking about life after CU Boulder. We offer free, tailored presentations and workshops for undergraduate students, graduate students and postdocs to support their career development. Topics range from career exploration to building professional skills to post graduate job search. Career Services staff members can adapt presentations to meet the needs of your class or group. Review presentations and workshops for undergraduate and graduate students.
Career Services has a tailored approach to working with academic departments. We have embedded career advisors dedicated to colleges and departments. This means you can benefit from clear communication and work with a career advisor that has experience advising students in your field. These partnerships can look different for each department and our collaboration is tailored to your specific career industry. Connect with an embedded career advisor in your college or school to learn more.
Career Services partners with PrivateFolio to provide file management services for CU Boulder students and alumni. PrivateFolio allows students to create an online portfolio to stay organized and manage their important documents. These documents can include letters of recommendation, curriculum vitae, writing samples, graduate school forms, dissertation abstracts, teaching certifications, student evaluations and more.