Fillable Printable Letter Of Recommendation Samples-DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS

Letter Of Recommendation Samples-DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS

PHONE 503-370-6060

FAX 503-370-6720

October 4, 2XXX

James R. Murray

Secretary of the Rhodes Committee Selection for Montana

Gordon Murray Tilden LLP

1001 Fourth Avenue

Suite 4000

Seattle, Washington 98154-1007

Re: Letter of Appraisal for _________

Dear Mr. Murray:

I write on behalf of ________’s application for a Rhodes Scholarship. I believe _______ to be an

exemplary student-scholar as well as a person of tremendous character with significant leadership skills.

I heard of _________ before I met her. A top student of mine and Truman finalist came into my office and

announced that she had met the next Truman finalist—a first year woman who was full of energy for

leading the Students for Choice organization. The young woman I encountered in my American Politics

class that next semester was, in fact, quite enthusiastic for her studies and a solid, conscientious student.

Full of questions, ________ regularly participated in class discussions and probed the materials with a zest

for learning. In her first year, however, I was more struck by her openness to the world than her analytic

ability.

What happened over the next two years was rather astounding from my perspective and a lesson to me not

to underestimate any student. ________ still has a refreshing wide-eyed quality about her but she is now

more fully self-possessed and has a command of analytic reasoning that places her in the top 1% of the

students I have encountered here at Willamette. Her enthusiasm and energy have been matched over the

years with a discipline that is remarkable in someone her age. This discipline is not about study habits,

though I would note that she always seems to be ahead of schedule, turning in assignments early and

working on projects weeks and months in advance. Her discipline is a commitment to learning.

As evidence of this discipline, I offer her engagement with me. While _________ did not receive the top

grade in my American Politics class and generally felt that she did not perform terribly well, she continued

to seek out my advice and feedback. Although she went on to stellar performances in other classes with

other professors, she sought me out on policy questions, asked for summer reading recommendations and

generally kept a running dialogue with me. In fact, as I have watched her progress over the last three years,

I note with amazement her ability to handle criticism and to grow and learn from it. Where other students

turn defensive, __________ wades in absorbing other perspectives and viewpoints, debating ideas,

adjusting her conclusions as necessary. She is undaunted but properly reflective, a rare combination that

speaks volumes, I believe, about her abilities as a scholar and a leader. This past summer _________

engaged me in an email discussion about poverty and welfare issues, reading extensively on her own and

asking me for more—more to read and more to think about.

This semester ________ is enrolled in two of my courses. Topics in Public Policy examines a number of

case studies including tax policy, environmental policies, education and housing and asks students to

evaluate different theories about the policy process based upon those cases. This is a difficult course

because it requires that students grasp complex specifics; they have to know why, for example, certain

elements of the business community might push for accelerated depreciation schedules in tax policy and

what is the cumulative effect of rule changes governing the amendment process. However, I also ask them

to step back and to draw lessons from the specific case studies in order to say something about the nature of

democratic decision-making. While many students tend to be good at one or the other, ________ excels at

both. She is well on her way to graduate level thinking and evaluation.

The other course in which she is enrolled is co-taught with three professors. ________ of the Politics

Department and _______ of the History Department and I conceived of a graduate style seminar where we

are as much participants as instructors in an examination of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America.

This is a year-long course where we spend the first half reading and analyzing the text. The spring

semester is devoted to bringing guest scholars in both history and political science, who are completing

works on Tocqueville. These guests will serve as models of scholarship for our students and give our

students more resources and expertise to pursue a final research project. We accepted applications for this

course and only admitted fifteen of the best students from the two departments. Even with this formidable

group of peers, ________’s work shines. In the first writing assignment, based upon the first 200 pages of

the text, we asked the students to identify a central puzzle that animates Democracy in America. Most of

the students wrote competent essays, but ________ really got to the heart of Tocqueville’s problem and

concern for preserving liberty given the dangers of democracy and equality.

In sum, I highly recommend ________ for the Rhodes Scholarship. I believe her proposed course of study

is suitable and builds on her many strengths. Her animating spirit and disciplined approach to learning

make her particularly well suited to take advantage of this opportunity.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Assistant Professor