Fillable Printable Sample Letters of Recommendation

Sample Letters of Recommendation

Appendix G

Sample Letters of

Recommendation

A. For an excellent student whom you know well

January 17, 2007

It is a true pleasure for me to write this letter of recommendation

for Sandra Garcia, who was my student in Sociology 115, “Intro-

duction to Sociology,” in the winter term of 2006. Sandra is, with-

out question, one of the four or five most outstanding students I

have taught at Big State University in six semesters of teaching.

Sandra is a careful and creative thinker with an eye for details and a

devotion to logic, which serves her well both in the sciences and

outside them. She has the terrific ability to draw on her own experi-

ence and observations to develop thoughtful opinions on a variety

of issues. Sandra already knew she wanted to major in biology

when she took my course, but this did not diminish her intellectual

curiosity about the topics we covered in introductory sociology.

Her regular contributions to full-class discussions provided insight

both for her peers and for me as an instructor.

Sandra was also invaluable in small-group interaction with her

peers. Without my asking, she took on the responsibility of helping

her classmates consolidate vast amounts of information into coher-

ent sets of ideas, and she quickly became a study group leader. In

addition, Sandra was very generous with her time and energies. I

remember her meeting individually with a student from Thailand

several times before the final exam to help him master all the mater-

ial in a foreign tongue.

Sandra breaks the “scientist” stereotype with her writing: she was

the best writer in the two sections I taught that semester. And what

was perhaps even more impressive was that she took the task of

improving her writing as or more seriously than any other student

in the class. One of her essays was later published in the annual

magazine of the best undergraduate essays written in sociology.

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Sandra is not only an excellent student, but she is also personally

delightful. She is as comfortable with herself as she is engaging,

pleasant, and humorous. As I got to know Sandra over the semes-

ter, I became only more impressed by the wide range of her abili-

ties—and by her modesty about them. She is an accomplished musi-

cian and scientist, both of which she does with a passion rare in

undergraduates.

I wholeheartedly recommend Sandra as a prospective medical

school student. In fact, I can think of few students whom I would

recommend as highly. She will add a great deal to any incoming

medical school class. I can also envision Sandra as a highly compe-

tent and caring doctor someday, which I say as a high compliment

indeed. Please contact me if there is anything else I can do on her

behalf.

Sincerely,

Peter Severs, M.A.

Graduate Student Instructor

B. For a good student whom you do not know well

5 January 2007

I am pleased to recommend Natasha Kincaid for admission to the

Teacher Education Program. Natasha was my student in Biology

210 (Cell Biology), and she proved to be a model student. She is

extremely conscientious about her work and about attending class

and lab. Because of her hard work, she consistently scored in the

top ten percent on all the exams and problem sets. Her work

demonstrates an attention to detail and an ability to integrate mate-

rial to create larger frameworks for discussion.

Natasha made intelligent and insightful contributions during full-

class discussion, but it was in lab that her enthusiasm and teaching

abilities shone. After the first week, she became the leader of her lab

group, and I would often see her patiently explaining a procedure

or a concept to her lab mates (and often those in the neighboring

lab group as well!). She took the initiative to organize and lead class

reviews before the exams, and other students told me afterwards

how helpful these sessions were.

198 First Day to Final Grade

I believe that Natasha’s strong academic abilities and her clear dedi-

cation to teaching make her a very strong candidate for the Teacher

Education Program. If there are any questions I can answer, please

feel free to contact me.

Mrinal Mukherjee

Graduate Student Instructor

C. For an average student

30 June 2007

I am pleased to write a letter of recommendation for George Gump

as part of his application to dentistry school. As George’s instructor

for Math 235 (Set Theory), I found him to be a conscientious and

hardworking student. The course was not required for George’s

major; he took it out of intellectual interest, and he approached the

material with the same curiosity and determination that he applies

in biology and medicine.

George’s work on the problem sets and exams demonstrated careful

attention to detail. He was also able and willing to articulate his

questions about the more abstract notions of set theory, a genuine

asset for many of his classmates and the class dynamic as a whole.

George is an extremely personable young man who seems equally

comfortable with his peers and with faculty. He has talked with me

about his goal of becoming a dentist, and I have enjoyed seeing

such enthusiasm in an undergraduate about a professional career.

George’s commitment to the field and his hard work in pursuing his

goals will serve him well in dentistry school.

Please contact me if I can answer any further questions.

Sincerely,

Kelly Atkins, Ph.D.

Lecturer

Sample Letters of Recommendation 199