How to Write a Recommendation for a Student

How to Write a Recommendation for a Student



Letter Writer Hub is a consultation service providing you the guidance to write winning letter. Our services includes,

  • Recommendation letters
  • Reference letters
  • Motivation letters
  • Credit explanation letter
  • Criminal charges explanation letters
  • Apology letters for court, victim, and etc
  • Character reference.
Proceed to Letter Writer Hub to order your letter.

A letter of recommendation from a teacher or mentor is important when a student applies to a university or a job. By writing the letter, you act as a character witness to a university or company on the student’s behalf. If you write an honest and positive letter of recommendation for a student, it can help them stand out from other applicants.

In this article, we provide steps and examples to help you write an effective letter of recommendation for a student.

Key takeaways:

  • Only write a recommendation letter for a student whose qualifications you can speak to directly.

  • Get submission details including the recipient’s name and email and the due date.

  • Ask for an up-to-date resume and details about the opportunity for which they need a reference.

  • Include specific examples of their relevant qualities, experiences and skills.


What is a letter of recommendation?

A letter of recommendation is a document that highlights a person’s character traits and work ethic to aid them in their application process. A student may use a letter of recommendation to help them enter an academic program or a career. Someone who has spent time with them in an academic or professional setting often writes the letter. It provides universities or companies a reference’s account of an applicant’s qualifications, including their skills, strengths, goals and accomplishments.

How to write a recommendation letter for a student

Here are steps to help you write a letter of recommendation for a student:\

1. Ask the student for academic information

First, ask your student for a list of academic achievements, extracurricular activities and their grade point average (GPA). Also ask for information about the program, university or job they’re applying to. This information will help you tailor your letter. Your goal is to be an advocate for the student and help support and highlight their success.

If the student is applying for a job, ask to review their resume so you can better understand their professional or academic background. You can also request the job description to best identify how the student can succeed in the role.

If the student is applying to a university or other program, you can ask to review the personal essay they are likely submitting. To learn more about the student, you can also ask why they’re applying, what they want to achieve and what they hope to gain from the opportunity. You can include your perspective on this information in your letter.

2. Address your letter accordingly

Addressing your letter properly can ensure it reaches the correct person and even makes the recommendation seem more personalized for the reader. Ask the student to who the letter should be addressed, including the person’s role in the application process. You may address the letter to a hiring manager, department head, admissions counselor or program director. If the student does not have a specific person to address the letter to, you can also address your recommendation to a company’s human resources department or a college’s admissions office.

If the student is applying to several universities or companies, keep the letter general, but try to highlight their suitable attributes. For example, the student may be applying to several technical schools with the hopes of becoming a software engineer. Knowing this, you can focus on the student’s achievements in the computer sciences and provide an example of one of their successful projects or science awards.

3. Introduce yourself and your qualifications

Your credibility offers an admissions board or employer a valued opinion about the candidate. At the beginning of your letter, identify who you are and how you’re qualified to speak on the student’s behalf. Include your job title.

4. Include details about your academic relationship with the student

Continue your introduction by discussing how long you’ve known the student and in what capacity. This item can be an extension of your job title, directly identifying your role in the student’s academic career. You can also describe your first impressions of the student and how you’ve watched them develop into a well-rounded student. Consider phrasing your perspective of the student in terms of how they surprised or impressed you in the classroom, on their assignments or in other academic settings.

5. Highlight the student’s qualifications with examples

Many universities and companies often look for candidates they believe can contribute to and improve the organization. A hiring manager may want to read about how the student can help grow their business and positively contribute to company culture. The admissions counselor may want to know if a student is likely to join clubs and organizations, be active in their education and assist their peers.

Consider who is reading your letter of recommendation, and include examples and information about how the student will benefit the university or company. Illustrate their potential success by showing the contributions they made to your school. Your examples can be drawn from their resume or academic information, including items such as:

  • Sports

  • Clubs

  • Volunteering

  • Competitions, awards and recognitions

  • Individual or group projects

  • Presentations and public speaking opportunities

  • Leadership roles such as captain of a team or president of a club

  • Academic excellence such as improved or maintained grades 

6. Conclude your letter

You can end your letter by restating your support of the student’s qualifications and offer to remain available should the reader have more questions about your recommendation and experience with the student. Consider including a few options for them to contact you, such as a phone number where you can be available and your email address. This final step can show the company or university that you believe in the student’s abilities and fully endorse them for the program or role, which may influence their decision in selecting the student.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
At some point in life, you’re almost certainly going to have to write a reference letter for someone. It might be a former employee or student, or even a family friend. Here’s what you need to know about the purpose of reference letters and how to write the most effective letter possible. Note: I will be using “candidate” to refer to the person who the reference letter is about, “you” to refer to the person writing the reference letter, and “recipient” to refer to the person receiving the letter. I’ll emphasise here, though, that reference letters are not only for job or academic “candidates”, it’s just a handy term to use to keep this article straightforward! What is a reference letter and when are they used? A reference letter is usually written to testify to a person or (occasionally) a company’s skills, character and/or achievements.  Sometimes a reference letter is known as a “recommendation letter”. It is a formal document, and should be typed and written in a serious and bus...
Read more

Sample Recommendation Letter From an Employer templates

Image
As an employer, you may be asked to write a recommendation letter for someone who worked for you in the past. Providing a   reference letter   from a previous employer can be beneficial during a job search, and if you feel that you can provide a positive endorsement, it’s a good idea to accept the request. However, if you don’t believe that you can honestly recommend the person for the job, it is best to politely  decline writing  the letter. Refusing to provide a recommendation is better than writing a negative reference, and there will be others who may be able to provide a stronger recommendation for the position candidate. For job seekers, it's a good idea to review examples of employer references, so you know what to expect when you ask someone to give you a reference for a job. You may even be asked to draft a reference letter for your reference writer to use as a starting point for their own letter. Review information on the importance of refere...
Read more

Grad School Recommendation Letter

Image
  Grad School Recommendation Letter Continue to letterwriterhub.com for free consultation Graduate school recommendation letters are an essential part of every graduate school application package–even in this (almost) post-COVID era of remote work and Zoom classes. Nearly all applications to graduate school still require at least two recommendation letters from individuals who can discuss your abilities, competencies, and personal character in a coherent way and recommend you for admission to graduate school. Many referees have difficulty writing these recommendations themselves (for language issues or simply because they are busy) and some rely on the applicant to pen the draft of the letter and receive confirmation before submitting it to the graduate school. But regardless of who is writing the letter, there are a few key elements the recommender needs to include to craft a stellar recommendation for their graduate candidate. Who would write the best letter of recommendatio...
Read more