Dreaming of grad school in the US?

Dreaming of grad school in the US? 🌟 Your Letters of Recommendation (LORs) can make or break your application!

Want to know how to get the best LORs that will make your application shine? Keep reading!

What is an LOR?

An LOR is a letter from someone who knows your work or academic performance. It talks about your skills and character, helping universities see why you’d be a great fit. These are recommendations by people who can vouch for your candidacy.

Choosing the Right Recommenders: Select 2-3 people who know you well and can vouch for your candidacy. If you have less than 2 years of work experience, get one LOR from your office and one from your undergrad professor. If you have more than 2 years, it’s better to get two LORs from your workplace, as recent experiences are more impactful.

Who Should Write Your LOR?

• From your job: Choose someone who’s worked closely with you, like a team lead or manager, not necessarily a senior director or VP who might not know you well.
• From your university: Pick a professor who taught you a course related to what you plan to study in grad school, but any professor who knows you well will work.

Preparing for a Strong LOR: Provide your recommenders with your resume, achievements, and clear details about what you’re applying for. Ensure they include specific examples of your strengths and maintain a professional tone.

Different LOR Formats: Universities might ask for LORs in different ways. Some might send a survey for your recommender to fill out, grading your candidacy on a scale of 1 to 5 with some qualitative answers. Others might ask for a traditional letter on letterhead. Be prepared for both.

Backup Plans: Always have 1-2 extra recommenders who can help with the LOR, because circumstances change and the person who was originally going to write your recommendation might not be with the organisation anymore. But some universities do have accommodations where you can reach out to your ex-colleague. This is because universities request for LORs from official emails.

Mind the Company Policy: Not all companies will provide LORs on letterhead, but universities accept surveys or traditional letters without letterheads. The best way might be a survey for your office LOR and a letter for your university, depending on the professor’s preference.

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