I’m happy to support my students whenever I can, and that includes writing academic letters of recommendation! My main goal is to write a letter that’s both genuine and effective in helping you reach your goals.

To make that happen, I have a few guidelines below. This is to help you decide if I’m the right person to ask and to make the process smooth for both of us.

General information

For information spcifically on PhD applications, please also read the next section.

As a new assistant professor, I want to be transparent about my junior standing. While I will write the strongest letter I can, you should strategically consider that admissions committees often place more weight on letters from tenured, senior faculty with established reputations. This is not a reason to avoid asking me, but it is a factor you should bear in mind when assembling your list of recommenders.

My Promise: I only write genuinely positive letters. I will never write a negative or even lukewarm one, because a generic letter can do more harm than good to your chances. Given this, please be prepared that there is a good chance I may have to decline your request. If I do, please see it as my way of protecting your application. It means I sincerely believe you deserve a letter from someone who can advocate for you with the specific, powerful detail.

If you’d like me to write a letter for you, please get in touch at least six weeks before your first deadline. It’s a huge help if you can send everything in a single email:

  1. Your current CV.
  2. A draft of your personal statement or application essay.
  3. A brief reminder of the course(s) you took with me, and how you did in each of them.

If I say yes, then please also send me the following at least four weeks before the first deadline:

  1. A clear list of the programs you’re applying to, with their deadlines.
  2. A one-page “highlight memo”
    • This memo is your chance to guide what goes into my letter. It’s a simple one-page document where you tell me what you’d like me to emphasize. Don’t be modest! The more details you give me, the more specific and personal my letter can be. The most useful memos are ones containing specific anecdotes and examples that I can attest to.

A Note on Deadlines. These timelines are firm. Writing a thoughtful, detailed, and effective letter requires a significant amount of time. To ensure I can give your application the attention it deserves and be fair to all students, I cannot accommodate requests that do not respect these deadlines. If you miss a deadline, there is a very high probability that I will not be able to write your letter.

Confidentiality. My policy is to only write confidential letters, and this is to your direct advantage. Admissions committees give significantly more weight to letters that students have waived their right to see, as it ensures complete candor. If you are asked, please be sure to waive your right; it’s a small step that makes a big difference in how your letter is perceived and valued.

Pre-filling my information. To ensure accuracy, please use the following details when pre-filling my contact information on your application forms if you are asked:

For PhD applications

A special note for PhD applications: letters for doctoral programs are all about your research potential. For your letter to be compelling, it has to go beyond your grades and speak to your ability to become a great researcher.

Because of this, I can only write PhD application letters for students I’ve worked with in a research context. This usually means:

Please understand that if we haven’t worked together in one of the ways listed above, or if I feel I cannot endorse your work with the powerful enthusiasm a PhD application requires, I will have to decline your request. This is to protect your application from a generic letter, which can do more harm than good. My goal is to ensure you are supported by a recommender who can write about your research potential with the specific detail you deserve.

For PhD applications, I need more time and information to write a letter that speaks directly to your research potential. For this, please give me eight weeks’ notice. In addition to all the items listed above, please also provide:

  1. Your research proposal / statement of purpose
  2. Your writing sample
    • If it is not required for your application, then please provide the final version of the dissertation or major research paper that I advised.
  3. A list of your other recommenders
    • Please let me know who else is writing for you and in what capacity (e.g., “Professor A, thesis advisor”). This helps me understand your full profile and tailor my letter to complement theirs.