Policy on Letters of Recommendation
This information is
for students requesting a letter of recommendation from Dr. Pasion
in the Department of Biology, SFSU. This information does not
reflect the
official requirements for SFSU faculty.
It is essential that you allow
sufficient time for preparing the letter, so you must contact
me a minimum of ONE MONTH BEFORE the letter deadline.
•links about requesting letters of
recommendation
•links for letter writers
If you are interested in obtaining a letter of
recommendation, you must approach me with the following information:
1. Complete name of
school (or scholarship program) to which you are applying
2. Complete mailing
address for letter of recommendation (for those letters that will be
sent by regular US postal service, an addressed envelope with
sufficient postage would be appreciated--see format for envelope here)
3. Form(s) to be sent
with letter. In some cases, the school/scholarship program has a
form or template for submitting the letter of recommendation.
Many programs have online letter submission - please provide me with a
list of all programs you are applying to with the application deadline.
4. Signed form waiving
your access to letter of recommendation (if applicable). If you
do not waive your right to access, the letter of recommendation is
considered not confidential and may be discounted by evaluators at the
recipient institution. For online submissions, please provide me
with a signed statement listing all schools that you WAIVE your right
to access the letter.
5. A copy of your
unofficial SFSU transcript.
6. A copy of your
personal statement to be submitted to the school (or scholarship
program).
I am looking for an explanation of your career goals or type of job or
graduate school you hope to enter if this is not included in your
personal statement.
7. Your contact
information (address, day and night telephone numbers indicating
acceptable contact
hours, your e-mail address--in case I need additional
information).
If you were a student in my class, please indicate the specific details
(class, semester, and grade received)
8. If you are using a
campus letter writing service, provide all relevant information and
forms.
9. Specific deadlines
for receipt of the letter (or when you will be picking up the letter if
you need to send the letter with your application packet).
10. You must meet with me to discuss
aspects of your academic performance or other characteristics that will
help
strengthen your letter of recommendation. Be aware that a letter
for
entry into a medical school or a graduate program will emphasize
different aspects of your
academic
performance compared to a letter for a scholarship program.
REMEMBER that you
should REMIND me (by e-mail, is fine) about the letter approximately
one week before the deadline.
- If you are requesting more than
five
letters at one time, you should have all the information available in
an
electronic format (e-mail, zip disk, or CD in a text document)
- Even if I have written a letter
for
you before, it is a good idea to provide all of this information again
(so
that we do not lose time looking for the previous information)
Information
for students who are requesting a letter of recommendation TOP
Swarthmore College-How to request
a
letter of recommendation
Career Center-UC
Berkeley Graduate School Letters of Recommendation
Requesting
a letter of recommendation
Career Center-UC
Berkeley Letters of Recommendation from A to Z
All
about letters of recommendation
How to get good
letters of recommendation
letters of
recommendation
Information
for people writing letters of recommendation TOP
Humboldt
State
Career Center Letters of Recommendation Tips
Bok
Center for
Teaching & Learning-Guide for Teaching Fellows on Writing Letters
Ten tips for
recommenders
Writing
a letter of recommendation
How to write a
recommendation letter
A few tips on how to write a
letter of recommendation
If the letter of
recommendation is to be mailed -- Format for stamped
and addressed envelope (don't stick the stamp on to the envelope, just
paper clip it to the envelope): TOP
Leave the return address blank.
General disclaimer:
The URLs listed are for information only and do not reflect endorsement
of any commercial properties associated with the listed web pages.
page updated 3/14/2010 TOP
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