Sample recommendation letter for phd admission from professors

A letter of recommendation for PhD aspirants is an important part of the admission documents. While other admission documents like transcripts and scores are factual, LOR is an independent human perspective of the applicant which connects the facts and plans of a resume and statement of purpose. A resume is a list of your accomplishments, transcripts are a proof of accomplishments whereas an SOP outlines the importance and your preparedness for the course. A letter of recommendation for PhD is an independent view on all of the above.

PhD application usually requires at least two recommendation letters. This gives the admission committee an opportunity to know the applicants as a people with skills which would otherwise be difficult to know from their resume, transcripts and SOP.

PhD Letter of Recommendation should mention at least three qualities of the applicant – a social quality and at least two technical or subject related qualities. Moreover, as PhD is an advanced specialised programme, the subject related quality should be focused on projects carried out and specialized courses done which will aid his/her PhD research.

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Recommendation Letters for PhD applicants hold much more importance than for undergraduate or Masters applicants. Grades and GRE scores play a big role in receiving an admit from a university. A Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is usually the deciding factor when choosing between candidates with similar credentials.

Letter of Recommendation for PhD Students: The right person

Before asking someone for a Letter of Recommendation, you should know whom to ask. PhD is purely academic degree and therefore you need to have referees who can vouch your academic inclination and strengths. Referees should be academicians with whom you have worked or someone who has supervised or taught you. Applicants aspiring for a PhD programme should ideally ask their Masters project guide to be one of the referees. Other recommendations should be the teachers and professionals who are from the field or specialization in which you intend to do your PhD.

Friends and relatives are not supposed to write your Letter of Recommendation for PhD for a number of reasons; First, they do not have the first-hand information of the applicant's academic capabilities. Second, as they have not professionally or academically worked with the applicant and their peers, they would not be able to present comparative information of the student. Also, the recommender might not have an in-depth knowledge of the discipline the applicant intends to do a PhD from.

Last but not the least, relatives cannot be objective about the applicant's qualities.

An ideal referee to write Letter of Recommendation for PhD would be a professional who has known the applicant academically for no less than one year. The recommender should not only know you as one of the students at the department, they should know you as a person, your capabilities as a student, as well as your control over the subject they have been teaching. They should also be aware of your future plans.

Academic recommendations can be taken from teachers, supervisors, guides, internship/project supervisors etc.

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Letter of Recommendation for PhD Students: Qualities to focus on

PhD recommendations are very subject specific. Referees should speak of strong subject knowledge as well as analysis traits. Letters of Recommendation should show the student as possessing positive qualities like intelligence, self-motivation, responsibility, and amicableness. Emphasis should be given on passion and dedication as well. Advanced study like PhD is often a challenging and demanding program. Therefore, the applicants should also display perseverance, competitiveness and ability to work independently. Courses and knowledge related to PhD programme related packages, extra courses, statistical analysis techniques should be exemplified in the Letter of Recommendation.

Letter of Recommendation for PhD Students: Parts of an LOR

A Recommendation Letter for PhD will typically be between one to two pages. The document should be well differentiated into 5–6 paragraphs. The LOR should begin with an introductory paragraph about the recommender and his/her association with the applicant.

The next 3–4 paragraphs should outline the different academic and social qualities of the applicant with suitable substantiation. No quality should be mentioned without a suitable example.

Finally, the concluding paragraph would be summing up the above with a line recommending the applicant to the programme.

Elements of Letter of Recommendation for PhD

A Letter of Recommendation for PhD students gives a human touch to the applicant’s profile. It is the only document which can present the applicant’s social side to the admission committee. Therefore, choose a referee who can not only substantiate your academic strengths but also cite appropriate examples of your social qualities in your recommendation letter for PhD.

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