Dr. King's Policy for Writing
Letters of Recommendation
- Don't leave forms under my door or in my mailbox without asking me first.
I'll throw them away.
- Don't suddenly e-mail me out of the blue and tell me you've submitted my
name as a reference. Ask me first!
- I must have three weeks' notice before the letter is due. NO EXCEPTIONS!
I can't drop everything and write a letter for you at the last minute
because you didn't plan ahead.
- You must supply me with the following:
- A copy of your resume or vita.
- A copy of your transcript.
- A statement of why you are applying to these programs and what
your goals are.
- A list of courses you took from me, when you took them, and the
grade you got.
- If there is a form for me to fill out, you must fill out the part you are
supposed to fill out. That is usually at the top of the form and will
include your name and the name of the program you are applying to. I will
not fill out this part for you.
- You must supply me with the full name of the program you are applying to
IN WRITING.
- You must supply me with a clear statement of when the letter is due IN
WRITING.
- If I am to mail the letter directly to the school or program (internship
or whatever), you must supply me with a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
- You MUST waive your right to review the letter.
- I reserve the right not to write a letter for you.
- You should think very carefully about who you ask to write letters.
This is especially true if you are applying to a graduate program.
Generally, what grad programs want is not a recitation of your
grades. They can see that on your transcripts. They want to know if
you handed in assignments in a timely manner, showed up for class,
participated in class discussions, took exams when they were
scheduled without making excuses, and so on. They want to know about
your ability to do graduate work, to work well with others, and
about your dedication to this career. They want to know not that you
sat through a class and got an A, but whether or not you were
enthusiastic about the material, appeared to enjoy learning, and
did more than was required of you, because those things will surely
be expected of you as a grad student. You should choose someone who
knows those things about you and can express a favorable opinion.
- It is a very bad idea to ask someone to recommend you who has heard
you complaining, making excuses, and generally blaming others for
your failings. (And if you are lucky enough to be asked on an
interview, for crying out loud, take responsibility for your own
actions!) True, faculty members are occasionally unfair, and
students do sometimes get a raw deal, but it doesn't happen as
often as we hear students complaining about it. Your education is
your responsibility and no one elses. Take responsibility for it!
Grad programs often ask letter writers to address this point
specifically.
- Grad programs always want to know about your speaking and writing
skills. If you have not taken the opportunity to develop these
during your undergraduate education, you are not a good candidate
for admission into grad school.
- If you did not get at least a C in MATH 130 on your first try, at
least a B in PSYC 225/L and 226/L on your first try, you are not
graduate school material, and even if I do agree to write a letter
for you, I won't recommend to the program that you be accepted.
- I won't lie for you. When I write a letter of recommendation, it
reflects on me and on Coastal if you do not live up to what I write.
I will tell it as I saw it. If you were habitually late for class or
did not attend often, if you missed exams or wanted make-ups or
extra credit more often than once, if you missed handing in
assignments or handed them in late, if you missed appointments or
showed up late, that's what I'm going to say in the letter.
- The programs always ask letter writers how well they know the
applicant. If I don't know you well or don't remember you, that's
what I will say.
- If you are applying to a Ph.D. program, you should have the
credentials that will make you a successful applicant. That
generally means a high GPA (3.3 or above), honor society
memberships, research experience, and some sort of work or
volunteer experience in the field to which you are applying.
You should also have high GRE scores, generally above 1200. (Old
scale. On the new scale that would be 160 or better Verbal and
150 or better Quantitative.)
The program may say their minimal requirements are lower than this,
but the people who will be competitive for admission will probably
exceed these standards. If you don't, you are wasting your
time and money applying.
- On the topic of GPAs, Coastal GPAs are seriously inflated due to very
generous grade forgiveness policies and a lot of other "stuff" like
that. Because of this, there are some programs that automatically
deduct 10% from Coastal GPAs before considering the application. In
any event, the program will certainly recalculate your GPA from ALL
of the grades on your transcript. If your transcript is loaded with
instances of grade forgiveness, your true GPA is not as high as you
think it is. Also, a few Ws are okay. A lot of Ws will be taken as
a bad sign.
- Masters programs are often easier to get into, but not always.
- I will not write a letter for you to a "mail order" school. (They're
not interested in what I say in my letter anyway. They are only
interested in taking your money. Letters of recommendation to such
programs are just a formality and are a waste of my time.)
- The end of the semester is usually a bad time to ask for letters. Faculty
are often overwhelmed with other duties at this time, and they are
especially overwhelmed with requests for letters that were made in a more
timely manner. I may agree to write you a letter under these circumstances,
but it will go on the bottom of the stack, and I will get to it when I get
to it. (Advanced registration is also a very hectic time and not a good
time to ask for a letter, especially if you need it right away.)
- Fall break, Christmas break, and Spring break are breaks for me, too. You
are probably not looking forward to doing schoolwork over a break. I'm not
either!
- About one week before the letters are due, you should check with me to make
sure I haven't forgotten. (Hey, I'm an old guy, and it's a good day when I
don't leave the house in the morning in my slippers!) I will not consider
this to be rude. In fact, sometimes I will be glad for the reminder!
- I certainly wish you well in your endeavors.
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