Policy for Letters of Recommendation

1
Policy for Letters of Recommendation

• Professor George Blank

2
I am willing!

• I want to see you succeed, and will write letters
  of recommendation on request for both job
  opportunities and further education.
• However, I will write only honest letters of
  recommendation, and I require you to follow the
  procedures in this document.

3
Tell me who you are

• I need to be able to find my records on you and
  to refresh my memory of your accomplishments.
  Tell me what classes you took with me, including
  the semester and year and whether it was
  classroom or distance learning. I keep my old
  grade books and will have all your grades.

4
Help me remember you.

• If you were in a classroom section, a digital
  photo may help. If you contributed to one of the
  lectures I am currently using, tell me which one.
  It also helps if you send me copies of your
  homework assignments, especially the best one(s).
• A current resume also helps me write a better
  letter of recommendation.

5
Team work

• Employers and some schools want to know about
  your ability to work on teams. Tell me what you
  did on your team project and any special role you
  played on the team.

6
Class standing

• Schools always want me to rank you with other
  students. To do this, I sort my grade book by
  grade and determine your exact standing. Since
  most schools want to know top 5, top 10, top
  25 and top half, this can embarrass you if you
  did not get an A in my class. A lot of B
  students will be in the bottom half.

7
Cheating and Incompletes

• I keep permanent records of people caught
  cheating in my classes and those who take an
  incomplete. Even though you can still get an A
  in the class with a 0 on a homework assignment,
  you cannot get a good recommendation. Also, an
  incomplete will negatively impact the perceptions
  of schools and employers.

8
A History of Begging

• I also keep records of students who ask for their
  grades to be changed without justification (such
  as a mistake on my part). If I write a letter of
  recommendation, I mention the begging, and
  suggest that there may be a pattern of attempting
  to manipulate other people instead of relying on
  your own work.

9
My Requirements

• For most employer recommendations, all you need
  is my address, email, and phone number. Use my
  home address and phone number, as I mostly work
  from my home office. Usually they call me to talk
  about you, so make sure I am prepared and have
  the necessary supporting documentation referred
  to earlier.

10
Forms

• If I have to submit forms, it is your
  responsibility to provide me with the forms and a
  properly addressed, pre-stamped envelope to send
  it in. Make sure that you fill out any
  information you are required to submit and sign
  the confidentiality agreement if necessary.

11
Electronic Submission

• Many schools now accept recommendations over the
  Web. Make sure I have your supporting
  documentation before the school contacts me.

12
Be professional

• If you want me to give a good impression to a
  school or employer, you should make a good
  impression on me. Make sure you provide all the
  necessary information, and use good English and
  proper grammar in your communications with me.

13
Bad Example

• A request like this does not make a good
  impression
• hey prof plse give me a letr of rec 4 harvard u
  cn get info frm web site -sammy smith