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Letters of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation Service
The Department of Psychology provides a service
to its undergraduate majors by keeping letters of recommendation on file
and, at the
student’s
request, sending them to prospective graduate schools, professional schools,
or employers. Most undergraduate students, at some point in their academic
careers, need letters of recommendation to support their applications
for scholarships, fellowships, or for employment or postgraduate professional
school opportunities. This brochure outlines the major features and conditions
for using the Department of Psychology’s letter of recommendation
service. It is the responsibility of each student needing such letters
to contact potential evaluators to write these letters.
Characteristics for Letters of Recommendation
Specific letters of recommendation vary, depending on the qualities
of the candidate as well as the evaluator. Whenever possible, these letters
should evaluate your ability to handle concepts in your area of study,
your post-graduate educational and/or employment potential, and/or relevant
personal characteristics that may affect your potential for success in
your chosen field of endeavor. The evaluator also usually states his/her
basis for the evaluation (i.e., class work, independent study, honors
thesis, field study, personal interactions, etc.).
Obtaining Letters of Recommendation
Letters should be solicited from individual faculty in the Department
of Psychology who have had sufficient opportunity to evaluate your potential
for postgraduate work or employment. Provision of these letters is
not an obligation on the part of the evaluator, and you must remember to
provide enough lead-time to meet any existing deadlines associated with
the application process. A deadline crisis on your part does not constitute
a crisis for the person agreeing to provide a letter of recommendation
on your behalf.
Procedures for Using the Department of Psychology Letters of Recommendation
Service
Students wishing to use the service must follow these directions:
- Read and complete the Letter of Recommendation Request Form, including
the Access to Confidential Statements form on the reverse side. Return
this sheet to the Department of Psychology main office at least
15 working days prior to your earliest application deadline for postgraduate
education
or employment.
- A maximum of four evaluator letters will be mailed to a maximum
of ten institutions (as indicated on Letter of Recommendation Request
Form).
Due to workload issues, we cannot exceed these departmentally established
limits.
- Ask evaluators (from the Department of Psychology) to provide letters
of recommendation on your behalf at least 15 working days prior to
an application deadline. Letters must be typewritten, but not addressed.
The Department cannot provide support to evaluators in other departments.
- Students are responsible for providing stamped, pre-addressed
envelopes in which their letters will be sent. The pre-addressed envelopes
should
contain the student’s name in the bottom left-hand corner (e.g., “Recommendation
for John Doe”) to avoid any possible error. For the same reason,
it is also recommended that the name of the evaluator be typed in the
return address space at the top left-hand corner of the envelope.
- All Letters of Recommendation will be mailed directly to the
institution and cannot be returned to the student personally. There are 2 exceptions
to this policy:
- Letters for students who have not waived their right to access
(the department will notify the letter writer that the student has
not waived their right to access when file is opened).
- Letters to institutions that have specifically provided students
with envelopes for the purpose of the letters being included with
the application.
- If there is a letter in the file and the evaluator is not longer
in the department, and cannot be contacted for permission to release
the letter to the student, the letter cannot be released to the
student.
The service will send the letter of recommendation directly to the
institution, but we cannot release it to the student without the letter
writer’s written permission.
- Evaluators will submit a printed copy of their letter of recommendation
on departmental letterhead to the Psychology main office.
- The Department will retain one copy of each letter written on
behalf of a student. Once an initial letter is on file, a student requesting
that the letter(s) be sent to additional persons/institutions (according
to the Coverages and Exclusions Statement) must submit additional
stamped, pre-addressed envelopes to the Psychology main office for mailing
according
to the deadlines established above. A note will be made on the student’s
Letter of Recommendation Request Form indicating the date his/her letters
are mailed.
- It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that each of their
evaluator’s letters arrive in the Department of Psychology main
office at least 15 working days prior to the earliest application deadline.
Failure to do so may cause your letters of recommendation to be sent
after an application deadline has passed.
You can assist the evaluator by providing, at the time of your request
for a letter, a concise academic autobiography, and any other information
you think pertinent to your request. The academic autobiography should
indicate courses; field work; research; or honor theses completed that
are relevant to your field of interest; your overall grade point average
and your grade point average in your major; relevant extracurricular
activities; copies or papers and/or tests from classes taught by the
evaluator, and any other autobiographical information that you think
might be relevant for your request. You should also describe the general
type of postgraduate program, employment opportunity, or other program
or professional opportunity you wish to pursue, as well as the application
deadlines for each.
Some post graduate educational and professional school programs and
potential employers require evaluators to fill out a specialized recommendation
form. A letter of recommendation on departmental or agency letterhead
can usually take the place of these forms. Nevertheless, if you would
like them sent with your letter(s), you should complete these forms
and include them along with your stamped, pre-addressed envelopes for
processing
at the time you request your letter(s).
Letter of Recommendation File Service Coverages and Exclusions
Services covered
- Establishing and maintaining a file of letters of recommendation
written on the student’s behalf by evaluators selected by the
student.
NOTE: Due to the large number of students requesting letters to support
their applications to graduate school or other employment, the Department
will only send a maximum of four (4) letters from different faculty to
a maximum of ten (10) institutions or agencies.
- Maintaining you letter of recommendation file for up to five (5)
academic years from the time your file is opened.
- Ask evaluators (from the Department of Psychology) to provide letters
of recommendation on your behalf at least 15 working
days prior to an application deadline. Letters must be typewritten,
but not addressed. The Department cannot provide support to evaluators
in other departments.
- Students are responsible for providing stamped, pre-addressed
envelopes in which their letters will be sent. The pre-addressed
envelopes should contain the student’s name in the bottom left-hand
corner (e.g., “Recommendation for John Doe”) to avoid
any possible error. For the same reason, it is also recommended that
the name of the evaluator be typed in the return address space at
the top left-hand corner of the envelope.
- All Letters of Recommendation will be mailed directly to
the institution and cannot be returned to the student personally.
There are 2 exceptions to this policy:
- Letters for students who have not waived their right to access
(the department will notify the letter writer that the student has not waived
their right to access when file is opened).
- Letters to institutions that have specifically provided students
with envelopes for the purpose of the letters being included with
the application.
- If there is a letter in the file and the evaluator is not longer
in the department, and cannot be contacted for permission to release
the letter to the student, the letter cannot be released to the
student. The service will send the letter of recommendation directly
to the institution, but we cannot release it to the student without
the letter writer’s written permission.
- Evaluators will submit a printed copy of their letter of recommendation
on departmental letterhead to the Psychology main office.
- The Department will retain one copy of each letter written on behalf
of a student. Once an initial letter is on file, a student requesting
that the letter(s) be sent to additional persons/institutions (according
to the Coverages and Exclusions Statement) must submit additional
stamped, pre-addressed envelopes to the Psychology main office for
mailing according to the deadlines established above. A note will
be made on the student’s Letter of Recommendation Request Form
indicating the date his/her letters are mailed.
- It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that each
of their evaluator’s letters arrive in the Department of Psychology
main office at least 15 working days prior to the
earliest application deadline. Failure to do so may cause your
letters of recommendation to be sent after an application deadline
has passed.
Services Excluded
The following are not covered by the Department
of Psychology
- Meeting emergency deadlines for sending letters from your file with
less than 15 working days notification.
- Ensuring that all relevant letters of recommendation are on file
in time to meet an application deadline. This is the responsibility
of the individual student.
- Providing additional services beyond those associated with maintaining
and sending letters of recommendation from your file. The Department
will not edit, modify, or retype any letters of recommendation in the
file, nor will the Department complete accompanying forms. It is the
responsibility of the candidate and evaluators to make certain that
letters in the file are in final edited form and accompanying forms
are completed.
- Maintaining a candidate’s file past five (5) academic years.
- Responsibility for letters written by individuals outside of the
Department.
- Returning letters of recommendation to students personally. All
letters will be sent directly to the institutions. There are two
exceptions to this policy:
- Letters for students who have not waived their right to access
(the department will notify the letter writer that the student has
not waived their right to access when file is opened).
- Letters to institutions that have specifically provided the student
with envelopes for the purpose of the letters being included with
the application.
Letters of Recommendation Request and Waiver Form
Make sure to read and fill out the entire document, including the waiver at the end.
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