This guide explains the CS Department’s policies on Letters of Recommendation and how to obtain one from our faculty.
Graduate programs may ask for up to three or four letters of recommendation.
If you are interested in a Ph.D. program or a graduate fellowship, your letter-writers should also have Ph.D.s, and should be able to write about your potential to do research. You should absolutely obtain a letter from a prof, or profs, you have done research with.
Your other letter-writers may be profs of your upper-division courses or your clinic advisor.
Ideally, you have had these kinds of interactions with your letter-writers.
Talk to your academic advisor and/or someone else in the department with whom you have developed a good working relationship to explore the possible set of letter-writers. Reach out to your possible letter-writers, discuss your graduate school plans, and ask if they feel they are in a position to write you a strong letter of recommendation. They may so “no” if they don’t feel that they know you well enough to write a letter that will be helpful for you. In general, it’s better to ask research advisors over clinic advisors over professors for whom you completed only a course project.
When you have confirmed letter-writers, please fill out the Letter of Recommendation Data Release Form to give to your letter-writers. As per FERPA regulations, your student information is protected, and your letter-writers will need permission to discuss any of your personal student information, which includes grades, GPA, disciplinary status, ethnicity, gender, test scores, birth date, religion, citizenship, marital status, etc.
You should ask your letter writer at least one month in advance of your first deadline. Arrange for the reference forms to be sent to your letter-writers (profs usually have to submit them electronically) at least three weeks before the application deadline or at your letter-writer’s preferred time. Finally, submit the below checklist to your letter-writers at least two weeks in advance of your first deadline, whichever comes first. Generally, November 1st is a good date to turn everything in by.
Attach the following:
Answer the following questions in the email:
It’s also helpful to check if your writer wants email reminders.