Things I Need to Write a Letter of Recommendation

1. There is a standard set of paperwork that needs to be filled out. Your advisor can help you with this.

2. Waiver of Confidentiality: I will not be able to write a letter for you if you are not willing to waive your right to see the letter. This is entirely your choice, and I will not be offended if you choose to ask someone else to write your letter. You will probably be able to find someone who is willing to write you a letter even if you do not waive this right. The reason that I think this is important is simple: You want the person reading the letter to trust that it is an honest evaluation. The reader will not necessarily have that trust if he or she believes that I am writing the letter with the knowledge that you will be reading it. Having said that, if I am unable to write you a positive letter I will let you know.

3. I will need a list of all of the institutions that you will be applying to, along with: (a) due dates, (b) an indication of whether the letter is to be submitted online through CSDCAS, online but not through CSDCAS (just mark these as online), or through the mail, and (c) any other details I need to know about. This needs to be right at the top of the pile of the material that you submit to me. I do almost all of this work over the holiday break. I do not mind getting to these early if it is necessary, but if I am not aware of an early deadline your recommendation may be late.

4. Please supply me with: (a) your overall GPA and GPA in the major (fill in these numbers on the checklist – see below), (b) a copies of any ETS score reports with your GRE scores with percentiles, and (c) a summary of your volunteer work and any other activities you want me to know about.

5. If there are forms that need to be filled out, please fill out everything that you can, including my name, address, etc. (Hard copies are getting pretty rare.) James Hillenbrand 1903 W Michigan Avenue, MS5355 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo MI 49008 269-387-8066 [email protected] 6. If material needs to be mailed, include addressed, stamped envelopes. 7. A checklist is attached. This needs to be filled out and submitted with the rest of your material (right after your list of programs, deadlines, etc.). 8. You need to request a recommendation (email is preferred) and submit your material no later than December 1. I would be happy to meet with you if you would like, but this is seldom necessary. Important: When you request a letter of recommendation, please do not indicate what kind of letter you would like; e.g., a strong letter or an enthusiastic letter, etc. As discussed above, if I cannot write a positive letter for you, I will definitely let you know. 9. VERY IMPORTANT: You will need to actually submit your applications to all of the programs that you include on your list no later than December 21 (or your earliest due date – whichever comes first). What I am trying to avoid is spending a lot of time searching all over the place for an email from Indiana (or whatever) only to find that there is no email from Indiana because the student has not yet submitted the application. NOTE: For some institutions, you may not need to complete the application process before I am sent an email with a link that allows me to submit my recommendation. Getting that email in a timely way is the only thing that concerns me. (If you change your mind about applying to any of the programs on your list, just let me know – and send a revised list to me.) 10. Put all of your material in a simple folder that I can write on with an ordinary pen (i.e., not plastic). Print your name and your earliest due date in the upper right corner. Name ______Graduate School Recommendation Checklist

□ A signed copy of the federally required WMU Authorization for Recommendations and References form.

□ A waiver of confidentiality. (You are under no obligation to waive your right to confidentiality, but for the reasons explained above I am not willing to write a recommendation for you if you decline to waive this right.)

□ Your most current undergraduate transcript from WMU and all other undergraduate institutions you have attended.

□ Your overall GPA and GPA in the major. Fill them in here: overall GPA _____, GPA in the major: _____.

□ Copies of the score report from ETS with your GRE scores - with percentiles for each GRE score. (This is important. I do not know what to make of raw GRE scores.) NOTE: I need a copy of the score report from ETS. You cannot just tell me what your scores were. Include multiple score reports if you take the test more than once.

□ A recent summary of relevant volunteer activities, and any other activities you’d like me to know about.

□ A list of all programs for which you are requesting a recommendation. The list needs to include:

□ A submission deadline for each institution. (If you have a deadline earlier than the middle of January, send me an email to let me know.)

□ For each program, indicate: (a) the deadline, (b) how the recommendation is to be submitted (CSDCAS, or non-CSDCAS online submission, or ordinary mail submission).

□ Stamped envelopes with addresses for anything that needs to be mailed.

□ For hardcopy submissions (these are rare), recommendation forms and any other supplemental materials.

□ Any other details I need to know about.

□ The list with this information above needs to be at the very top of the pile of material you submit

□ For any forms that need to submitted with your application, as much of the faculty information as you can complete has been filled in. (See page 1 for these details.)

□ Put all of the material in a folder or something and print your name and your earliest due date in the upper right corner of the folder.

□ Put your name on every piece of paper that you submit to me.

□ When you check this particular box, you are promising to submit actual applications to the institutions on your list no later than December 21 (or your earliest due date, whichever is earlier). (If you change your mind about applying to any of the programs on your list, let me know and send me a revised list.)

□ A completed copy of this checklist.