Overview
Recommendations are one of the most important elements of any scholarship application as they can provide important information about your intellectual abilities or give a well-rounded picture of you as a person.
Who Should Complete a Recommendation?
Recommendations should come from faculty members or non-academic individuals who can write about significant contributions you are making to society outside the classroom. Faculty members will be able to comment on your academic contributions to date, future goals, and research experience he/she has supervised. If you choose to ask a faculty member, it is advisable to select professors who know you the best, particularly those who are from your field of study.
If you select a non-academic individual to complete a recommendation, be sure to select someone who is directly related to your contributions outside the classroom. For example, if you are volunteering with a non-profit organization, it would be advisable to ask the director of the organization to complete the recommendation, provided that the director can make first-hand comments about your contributions. Other non-academic individuals who are generally acceptable to use may include athletic coaches, religious leaders (ministers, rabbis, imams, etc.), work supervisors, or others who can speak to your qualification for the scholarship. Recommendations should not be from a family member or personal friend.
Here are a few tips for how to get to know individuals that can serve as a recommender:
- Consistently attend office hours
- Get involved in research
- Take more than one class from a faculty member whom you might want to write a recommendation on your behalf
- Keep in contact with your instructor, so he or she stays current with what you are doing
- Attend events and volunteer
- Join clubs and organizations, and take a leadership position
Requesting a Recommendation
When asking an individual to submit a recommendation, it is advisable to do the following to ensure you get the strongest recommendation possible both for now and in the future:
- Start early. Ideally, contact your recommender 3-4 weeks before recommendations are due. Many individuals have busy schedules, and you want to allow enough time for the recommender to agree to complete and write a strong recommendation. Rushing them might lead to a recommendation that is not as polished or as positive as it could be.
- Choose well. Request recommendations from those who know you, since they will be better equipped to write a compelling recommendation for you. Ask the potential recommenders “Do you feel you know me well enough to write a scholarship recommendation for me?” This allows a person who feels they don’t know you well enough to decline to write a recommendation and potentially suggest a different individual, which is better than having someone write a generic recommendation.
- Provide helpful information. If possible, meet with your potential recommender(s) in person and provide some information to them. Specifically, provide information about the scholarship and the broad goals of the program, why you are applying for the scholarship and what you hope to accomplish through your education and career, your resume, and a copy of your transcript. It is imperative that you provide accurate deadlines and procedures for how the potential recommender will submit his or her recommendation. Follow up at least one week before the recommendation is due, to check in and see if your recommender needs any additional information from you. If you have begun working on your short answer question responses, it would be advisable to bring this as well in order to solicit feedback.
- Be gracious. Follow up with your recommender(s) to thank them for their time and willingness to write a recommendation on your behalf. This will let them know that you appreciate their efforts and will increase the likelihood that they will write another recommendation in the future. When following up, it is advisable to send handwritten thank-you notes. If you are selected as a winner, you will want to make sure your recommenders are aware of this as well.
Last Updated December 29, 2022