rec letter

01
Apr

The One Letter to Rule Them All

Submitted by undergrad-admin
THE ONE LETTER TO RULE THEM ALL how to help your research mentor write the strongest recommendation letter. Ask early. Update your CV. Write a self-assessment statement. Send everything in a single email. Stick around. Remember the thank you.

— from the PI’s desk

Why this letter matters so much

As an undergrad, one of the reasons you devoted so much time to a research experience was to earn an epic letter of recommendation--one that speaks to your strengths, resilience, character, self-reliance, cultural competencies, ability to solve problems, and contribute to a group effort.

This letter will be a comprehensive endorsement of your graduate, medical, preprofessional school application, or for a job complete with specific examples that influenced your PI's opinion. This one letter has the potential to outweigh all other letters from a professor whose class you attended, or from someone who oversaw a volunteer program you participated in for a semester.

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phd advice

Will You Need THE Recommendation Letter Next Spring?

If you’ll submit that all-important packet for the next step in your career next spring, you might not be thinking much about your recommendation letters this August. And, if that is indeed the case, pay close attention to this #ProTip: You should reconsider your strategy.

If you're premed, you have approximately 8 months until it's time to ask for letters from your professors (give or take a few weeks depending on your specific circumstances). But that doesn't mean that you have 7 1/2 months until you need to think about those letters.

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