What is the Recommendation Letter?
A recommendation letter is a document which is written by a tutor, teacher, employer, colleague, or friend about their knowledge of the person, his abilities, and strengths. A recommendation letter is commonly used by students or job seekers who are applying for admission to higher education at a university, and it is one of the most effective tools for convincing an admissions committee to receive a scholarship for graduate students. It should be noted that the recommendation letter considerably reflects your abilities and background.
Academic recommendations are a prerequisite for being accepted in the application process. But it is not a sufficient condition to receive admission. Even if a student can acquire a recommendation from the best professor in his / her field of study, he/she still has to meet other admission requirements. This is why a recommendation letter is not a sufficient condition for receiving admission. Therefore, the recommendation letter is not so important that the applicants worry about it in the application process, nor is it so insignificant that the applicants can get a good position without it.
The importance of a recommendation letter
The importance of a recommendation letter is determined when the applicant has a skill that does not have anything to prove it. In this case, by writing a recommendation letter from a reputable professor, this skill is transferred to the admission committee of the desired university.
content of the recommendation letter
The content of the letter of recommendation depends entirely on the needs of the applicant, but the most common topics and topics you can mention are:
- Abilities
- Skills, capabilities, and strengths
- Reliability and accountability
- Individual stability
- Participation (in class or community)
- Successes
- Personality maturity
- Creativity
Recommendation Letter Structure
Although the recommendation letter varies according to the purpose of the individual, in general, each standard recommendation letter is based on the following three key components:
- One line or paragraph that describes how the reference became acquainted with the applicant and the duration of the acquaintance.
- Describe the reference evaluation of the applicant’s skills and achievements. It would be much better if these skills and competencies were expressed by giving a real example.
- Summarize the reference reasons for the person’s recommendation and the quality of the advice concerning the requested subject.
conclusion
If your recommendation letter has the proper content and is written by a professor with a high academic reputation and rank, it will improve the applicant’s position and facilitate the possibility of obtaining a student visa and scholarship. Most universities require two or three recommendation letters from the applicant to be written by different people. The recommendation letters should be written in two or three paragraphs, and the content is about your features, characteristics, and abilities.
Do not forget that the recommendation letter is just a recommendation, not an order or instruction or directive, and only a document that you must attach to your application for admission to graduate school. Do not expect a miracle from it.