By Markus Min
Note: Elements of this were drawn from a 2021 talk that Dr. Chelsea Wood gave during a workshop for applying for the NSF GRFP.
In the environmental field, letters of recommendation are ubiquitous. They are required for internship or job applications, scholarships or fellowships, or graduate school applications, to name a few. As such, knowing how, who, and when to ask letters for recommendation is key to success.
What is a letter of recommendation?
A letter of recommendation is a document that is submitted on your behalf by someone who you know, traditionally in a professional or academic sense, that attests to why you should be selected for a given opportunity. Letters of recommendation are tailored to the opportunity for which you are applying, but typically cover aspects such as your qualifications, intellect, ability, professionalism, and personality. These are used by those evaluating your application to corroborate what you wrote in your application, as well as offer complementary details about you that may not be conveyed in your application materials.
Who should I ask for a letter of recommendation?
Potential letter of recommendation writers are typically people that you have interacted with in an academic or professional setting. This means that work supervisors or professors in classes are suitable letter writers, whereas family members, peers, or sports coaches are typically not. When deciding who to ask for a letter of recommendation, you want to ask people that know you the best in these settings, and can speak to your ability and qualifications.
While later in your career you will likely have options for who to ask for letters of recommendation, early in your career, such as during your first couple of years of undergrad, it is extremely beneficial to go out of your way to develop relationships with potential letter writers, such as class professors. This means that finding the time to get to know professors outside of class time, such as during their office hours, can pay off tremendously in the long run. A professor that can speak to the passion you have for your field, your potential as a student, and your career aspirations will write you a much stronger letter (and is more likely to agree to write you a letter in the first place) than a professor who can only say “___ is a good student, receiving an “A” in my class.”
If you are further along in your career and have the luxury of having multiple options of people to ask for letters of recommendation, awesome! That’s a good problem to have. General criteria for who to ask for a letter of recommendation from a suite of potential letter writers include:
Who knows me the best?
Who have I worked with most recently?
How can I select a set of letter writers that know me from different settings and thus can write me complementary letters? All of your letters of recommendation saying the same things about you (e.g., “___ is a good student” and nothing else) is not as powerful as having three letters that all speak to different aspects of your capabilities.
How do I ask for a letter of recommendation?
When asking for a letter of recommendation, particularly if the person you are asking doesn’t know you especially well, it is critical to write a solid email requesting a letter of recommendation. Elements of this initial email include:
An introductory section that might include information such as how you’ve appreciated or enjoyed their class or working with them or providing background on your passions. This section will vary considerably depending on who you are asking and what the opportunity is for, but is good to include so that you don’t start off with asking them to do something for you. This is most important if your potential letter writer isn’t someone you know particularly well, but is still a nice thing to include in all letter of recommendation request emails.
A description of the opportunity
Why you are applying for this opportunity
What the submission deadline is
An offer to provide more detail on the opportunity or why you’re interested
A request for a letter of recommendation, that gives the letter writer an option to decline your request. The inclusion of an “out” for a potential letter writer is important so that if they don’t feel that they can write you a good letter of recommendation, they can decline your request.
Here’s an example of an email I wrote to a potential letter writer, who I had taken a couple of classes with and interacted with during office hours, about the NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship:
Dear ___,
Thank you for leading such insightful and informative classes over the past year, as well as for being so friendly and helpful. Your Introduction to Environmental Science class confirmed for me that environmental science was the right major for me, and your class on water use in California remains my favorite class I’ve taken so far for its pertinence and engaging material.
As I have mentioned before, I am particularly intrigued by the field of marine conservation, as I believe that protecting our oceans and conserving its natural resources will be vital for the future of our planet, as well as for the well-being of all the people around the world who rely on our oceans for sustenance and for a livelihood. As our ocean faces more issues now than ever before, I believe that tackling issues such as ocean acidification and overfishing will be crucial in ensuring that our oceans can continue to support our way of life.
Due to my interest in this field and the pressing issues facing us today, I have felt drawn to apply to the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship, a joint scholarship and internship program offered by NOAA. This program for students studying in NOAA mission fields includes a two-year scholarship as well as a 10-week summer internship at a NOAA facility, where scholars receive practical experience working in NOAA-related research, policy, management, and other fields. I believe that this program would be tremendous in helping me achieve my goals of working in the fields of environmental policy and marine conservation.
If you think that this sounds like a promising opportunity for me, I would be honored if you could write me a letter of recommendation, due January 23rd. If you have questions or concerns about the program or about whether I’m a good fit, I would be happy to meet with you to discuss the program and my merits. More information about the program can be found here: http://www.noaa.gov/office-education/hollings-scholarship
Regardless of whether you have the bandwidth to write me a recommendation letter, I look forward to your response and input. Thank you very much for your time!
Best regards,
Markus Min
See if you can identify all six elements that I mentioned above!
Once your letter writer has agreed to write you a letter of recommendation, you should send them a follow-up email that includes information on you that will help them write a better letter. Here are examples of things to include:
A resume/CV
A transcript
Your application materials (e.g., essays)
Optional, but can be very beneficial: A summary of points that you think the letter writer should address. Many letter writers will greatly appreciate this information as it will help them get started on your letter! For example, if your letter writer was your supervisor during an internship, you may want to remind them of the things you accomplished during your internship.
As far as the question of when to ask for a letter of recommendation goes, you’ll want to ask as early as possible. You should give letter writers at least a month (2-3 months is ideal!) before the submission deadline to give them time to write you as strong a letter as possible. If you’re asking letter writers on short notice, you’re more likely to (a) have your request declined, (b) have a weaker letter, or (c) have your letter writer not be able to submit by the deadline.
Once your letter writer has agreed to write you a letter of recommendation and you have sent them your initial follow-up email, make sure to send reminders! For example, if you asked two months ahead of time, it would make sense to send reminders one month from the deadline, two weeks from the deadline, one week from the deadline, and two days from the deadline. While this may seem annoying, don’t worry! Letter writers are typically very busy people and appreciate the reminders to complete your letter.