I take writing letters of recommendation very seriously and it takes me hours to craft a single letter. In light of this, it is important to provide me with sufficient and timely information. This document aims to clarify what is sufficient and what is timely.

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Specifics

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TIMING: You should request to be recommended at least one month in advance. If I agree to write a letter on your behalf, you should provide the following information and materials at least three weeks in advance of your application due date.

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Please send me a single email answering the following questions (if applicable) and attaching the following materials, or providing links where available. 

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Information
 

1. What is your name (so that I don't use Sue for Suzanne or vice-versa)? Please also tell me the pronouns I should use in the letter or if you prefer I do not use pronouns and instead only refer to you by name.
    

2. For students, what is your year and major(s) and minor(s)?
    

3. How long have I known you (years and months), and (for students) what is my relationship to you (instructor, research adviser, etc.)? I have been teaching for a long time, do not assume I remember exactly the name or year of the class and/or program, so be specific.
    

4. What classes have you taken with me, what grade did you earn, and how did you distinguish yourself in my classes? (If you did not earn a grade you like or did not distinguish yourself in any way in my class, you will likely want to ask another professor for a recommendation.)
    

5. Have you TA'ed for me in one of my courses? If so, for what classes and when? Was there additional things you did during this time that facilitated other student's learning?
    

6. Have you worked on research with me? If so, what did we work on, mention any preprints/articles/posters/presentations related to this work. Also include a description of what you did to distinguish yourself as a researcher. Where there particular skills you developed or strengthened that you are particularly proud of? 
    

7. What are you applying for (REU, PhD program, Masters program, CPP scholarship, teaching job, industry job, fellowship) and what is the corresponding due date?
    

8. Do you know the specific requirements or qualities the application committee is looking for? List them and explain how you meet each of the listed requirements for the program.
    

9. For undergraduates applying to special (e.g. summer) programs or fellowships, what are they looking for in candidates (e.g. students with lots of programming background) and what are the specific letter writer instructions? A link to the program announcement should be sufficient.
    

10. What would you like me to address as your academic strengths?
     

11. How would you describe yourself when it comes to your academic and professional work?
     

12. Are there important academic/professional accomplishments you would like me to highlight?
     

13. What specific skills or qualities do you think I should highlight in the letter?
     

14. Can you give examples of how you’ve demonstrated leadership, problem-solving, and/or teamwork?
     

15. How do you believe this opportunity (e.g., program, scholarship, job) aligns with your future plans?
     

16. Who else is writing letters for you? (So I can provide information which may not otherwise be covered.)
     

17. For students, what are your long term goals? How will this position/award help you attain that goal?
     

18. Is there anything about your background or identity that you feel is important for me to highlight?
    (For context like supporting diversity initiatives.)
     

19. What are your extracurricular interests and passions?
     

20. Is there anything else you can think of that might help me, or anything you wish to share that you want me to mention in the letter that was not capture in the questions above?
     

Materials

 

In the same email as above, please send me links to, or attach the following
 

1. your CV/resume
    

2. for students, your unofficial transcripts
    

3. if applicable, all necessary forms for letter writers (don't count on me to go through each website to determine what forms I need to complete)
    

4. preprints or publications that I should pay special attention to
    

5. all materials you will submit with your application (e.g. personal essay, statement of interest, research summary or proposal, etc.)