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Letters of Recommendation Policy, Wallace
rev. 5/4/2008
For some reason, students often ask me to write letters of recommendation for
them. (I guess that they think that I'm a nice guy, so I'll probably say
something nice about them.) I'm happy to do this whenever I think it's
appropriate and that I can write something that will be beneficial to students.
I wish I could write wonderful letters for each and every student, but I don't
know all of you that well, and my
current schedule keeps me working about 50+ hours each week. I don't have
time for extra projects, especially if they're not going to be helpful to
students.
However, I will happily write a letter for you, and I think that it will be
appropriate and useful, under the following conditions:
- The student has been in my classes for at least 2 complete
quarters (I think that 1 year is better).
- The student has earned top grades (A's or B's) in these classes or otherwise
somehow exhibited outstanding academic potential. (If you
earned C's or lower, I'm probably not the best person to write a letter of
recommendation for you.)
- It has been less than about 1 or 2 years since the student completed their last
chemistry course with me.
If you generally meet the criteria listed, contact me about a letter of
recommendation by completing the
Letter of
Recommendation Request Form AND providing the items listed
below at least 10 days (30 is better) before the letter of recommendation is
due. If the letter is to be mailed, you need to allow additional time.
With the
Letter of
Recommendation Request form, you'll need to provide:
(i) complete copies of all documents associated
with the program for which you are applying; this documentation should
include basic information such as the address and entity to which the letter is
to be sent, how the letter should be prepared, as well as other information such
as the criteria for selection and the nature of the requesting entity, if
available
(ii) a complete and
current resume that includes academic and work history as well as
extracurricular activities and career and academic goals
(iii) unofficial copies of LTCC transcripts - transcripts from all colleges
would be better
(iv) If there is anything else that I should know or you would like me to
mention in the letter, include it; this will help me to provide you with the
most effective letter possible.
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