If you ever dreamt of getting higher education from abroad then you must be familiar with the term “Recommendation Letter”. No doubt your scorecard and grades matter to the university but along with that they want to know you as a “whole person”. They want to get an idea about other people’s opinions about you. Hence your recommendation letter must highlight not only your professional skills but also your personal attributes. Some universities share a template for recommendation letters while others do not. In such cases, students often get confused about which pattern to follow. Don’t worry we have understood this common problem and thus this blog will highlight how can you make an efficient recommendation letter.
What is a Recommendation Letter?
Before we begin let us first understand what do we mean by an academic recommendation letter. An academic recommendation letter is a piece of writing that details the academic and extracurricular achievements of the student. The academic recommendation letter is mostly written by the guide/teacher who can best detail the student’s capabilities. These recommendation letter helps the university to understand the future goals of the student and how he can be a valuable part of their university.
How recommendation letters are different from a reference letter?
You might think that a recommendation letter and a reference letter are one and the same thing. However, in theory, it is not the case.
Recommendation letter – typically consists of 300-400 words and contains a detailed description of the student ‘professionally’ and ‘personally’. ‘Professionally’ means the academic score of the student and ‘Personally’ means his/her code of conduct inside the school premises. These letters are not handed to the student but directly send to the university in which he/she is aspiring to take admission.
On the other hand,
Reference Letter – is handed directly to the candidate by the reference person and it usually discusses the general characteristics of the candidate. These letters do not point out the strengths of the candidate and how his/her skills will make him/her a suitable candidate for the employment post or academic seat which he/she is seeking.
How to begin writing a recommendation Letter
1) Address the letter
You should keep in mind the relevance of the addressee. This means it is important to understand who will be reading the letter. For example, if you want to take admission in any university hence your letter should emphasize your intelligence and good conduct. No university will leave an intelligent candidate. Suppose you are taking the recommendation letter to switch your job or to get into a new job. Hence your recommendation letter must emphasize your skills, leadership qualities, and colleague conduct. Why this is important because your recruiter must have an idea that you can do multitask hence is of great value to the company.
2) Make the Candidate Familiarize
You should introduce the candidate in the beginning paragraph. You should try to include as many positive characteristics as you can. For example, you can write, “I know _____(candidate’s name) to the depth of his character. I was his instructor at high school. He is a very enthusiastic, dynamic, and intelligent student. His research and writing skills are excellent. He is ready to be promoted to higher class”. Introductory paragraphs always hold special relevance hence you must always include the strongest characteristic about the candidate in this paragraph.
3) Highlight the strength of the candidate
The body part of your recommendation should highlight the strength of the candidate. You must highlight the academic and extracurricular achievements of the student. You should choose such language which focuses on the student’s characteristics and how he can fit into the new environment. You can bifurcate (divide) your body paragraph into two parts. The first paragraph highlights academic achievement and the second part focuses on extracurricular accomplishment. For example, you can start with such words “Rohan completed his Bachelors in Arts holding the first position in the college. He was also the head boy of the college and has won state-level basketball championship last year”. The above sentence highlights the candidate’s academic and sports achievements.
4) Conclusion
If you are writing someone’s recommendation letter then you must be in a respectable position. Hence you must conclude your letter with a direct recommendation. For example, “I can proudly say that the candidate Rohan’s profile is strong. He has a strong and determined mind which is highlighted in his accomplishments. He can be proved as the best candidate to receive the scholarship in your prestigious university”. Your direct recommendation will ‘Hits the nail on the head’.
5) Appropriate Closing
You must close the letter with a decent salutation. For example,
“Best regards
Professor XYZ
Dean (Department)
College Name”
The particular details about your designation and university will increase the value of your recommendation letter.
We try to include all the essential aspects to write a good recommendation letter. Still, if you are not able to write or feeling confused, don’t worry feel free to contact us. Google my “Myessayassignment” and we will help you to write your recommendation letter with expert guidance.
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