Structure of letters of recommendation for studying in Canada
The structure of the recommendation letter is relatively uniform, especially the beginning and end of the two paragraphs are basically the same.
The first paragraph should first introduce the relationship between the referee and the applicant, under what circumstances and how long they have known each other; And the first paragraph should make it clear that the recommender is very willing to recommend the applicant to this school.
② Generally, the second paragraph is the referee's evaluation of the applicant. You can also explain why the recommender has an impression on the applicant, and then confirm the evaluation structure of the recommender on the applicant with examples. If you express a lot, you can also write two paragraphs in this part.
The third paragraph mainly summarizes the characteristics of the applicant, or the recommender thinks that the applicant's future development potential in this major will be described, or he can write some words of thanks to the school review Committee.
note:
When developing a specific description, be careful to avoid using too general words, such as nice and good. There are concrete examples to prove it after describing the text. Briefly describe the reasons for recommendation with vivid and concise facts. The content is only convincing if it is specific. It is better to say that someone is a better student than that someone is in the top 5 of 100 people. At the same time, the length should not be too long, and the recommendation letter should not be written as a small personalstatement.
In short, a good recommendation letter should be fluent. Faith should be based on the facts of flesh and blood, supplemented by summary and analysis, rather than blindly touting. In addition, different letters of recommendation should be written in different ways, and they should not all start with the same sentence pattern, such as DearSirorMadam, It 'sapleasuretorecommend, etc. Don't have the same font, size and page setup for each recommendation letter.
Key points of writing letters of recommendation for studying in Canada
1, sooner rather than later: the recommendation letter needs time to write, not to mention the teacher's time. So draft your recommendation letter as soon as possible, so that your references have enough time to process your recommendation letter.
2. Provide enough information to referees: If you want referees to grasp your strengths, you must provide enough information. Naturally, try to be specific and avoid empty statements. At the same time, you should also provide the deadline for your application to the referees for reference, so as not to delay your application.
3. Choose different styles for typing letters of recommendation to express different referees. If it is a form that needs to be circled, you can fill it directly in the manuscript.
Under logical reasoning, it is impossible for the recommender to know or understand your characteristics. Please make yourself at home. For example, the performance of students' extracurricular activities is not suitable for professors who usually teach formal subjects unless professors are also involved. Another example is the performance of other classes. Unless mentioned by other professors, professors in this discipline are not suitable to comment on the performance of students in other disciplines. For another example, it is impossible for a teacher to know in detail how students look up information and write reports in the library, unless they are too special to be mentioned in the recommendation letter.
5. The content of the letter of recommendation should be as concise and powerful as possible: don't use empty adjectives, hard-working, responsible, earnest, modest and sincere sentences, and don't quote too much. Tell specific facts to avoid becoming a mere formality, especially don't copy the letter examples on the market, so as not to become cliches and fall into stereotypes.
6. If possible, references are related to your subject or school. For example, if you plan to major in English in the future, one of the referees is the English teacher. For another example, if you apply to an Ivy League school, if the referee is also from an Ivy League school, the recommendation letter will be stronger.
7. mention your "shortcomings" appropriately. If a letter of recommendation fully expounds the advantages of the recommended classmate, it will inevitably make people feel that it is whitewashing. If we can add some "shortcomings" appropriately, we can not only make the recommendation letter true, but also highlight the special temperament of the recommended person through "seemingly derogatory reality"
Matters needing attention in writing letters of recommendation for studying in Canada
1, contact for reference as soon as possible.
If you have decided to study abroad for a long time, and your major direction has been determined, it is of course necessary to ask the professor to write a letter of recommendation in time when you help the professor complete a project and your performance is good. Or if you apply for education and have just been practicing in a middle school for two months, why not ask the principal or dean of the school to write a letter of recommendation for you right away? This will at least ensure that when you apply, the referee will not forget what you have done. If you have already started to apply, you should say hello to the professor at least one or two months in advance, leaving enough time for the professor to write a recommendation letter to you, which is very helpful for you to catch up with the application deadline and reduce the pressure on referees.
2. Offer your own details to the recommender.
Try to have a detailed conversation with the recommender before writing the recommendation letter, even if it is only 10 minutes, mainly about his academic performance, his goals, the major and direction of application. At the same time, provide detailed resume. Of course, if your self-report letter has been prepared or has a draft, you can provide it together. In this way, the recommender can be targeted when recommending you, and can avoid the shortcomings of too general recommendation letter and no examples for the courses you apply for.
3. Recommendation Form and Letter of Recommendation
Many schools have fixed recommendation forms. Although it is for the convenience of referees, it actually brings a lot of trouble to most referees in China. If you apply to 20 schools at the same time, it is enough for the professor to fill out the form. For some schools that specifically declare the use of recommendation forms, you should try to use recommendation forms and attach letters of recommendation. For most schools, you can only sign a part you want to fill in, that is, apply for a statement of direction and/or give up the right to attend graduate school. As long as the recommendation letter contains the contents in the recommendation form, you can attach a signed recommendation letter directly.