Recommendation letters

If you are seeking a recommendation letter from me, you should prepare a package that I can download (from Dropbox or some other online storage service). You should prepare this in advance and include the link in your first email to me (or other professors, for that matter). Doing so demonstrates that you are well organized and efficient, which will contribute to my and other professors' willingness to write you a good letter.

It should contain the following items:

1. Your student ID number
2. A photo from around the time you were a student of mine, so that I can better recognize you.
3. Due date for the recommendation
4. CV
5. Statement of Purpose (SOP), Study Plan, Personal Statement, or similar document
6. List of classes you've taken with me and the grades you've received (if applicable)
7. Copies of any individually written papers you wrote for one of my classes (excluding RPs)
8. List of schools and the specific program/degree to which you are applying (if applicable)
9. A short description of what you would like me to highlight and how you would like me to position you, as suggested by the Cassuto article below.

Resources

Here are additional resources:

1. How to Ask for a Recommendation, by Leonard Cassuto, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 4 April 2016. Tells you how to manage the recommendation letter process.