Recommendation Letters

One of the requirements when you apply for most scholarships is one or more letters of recommendation.  Here, you need to ask people that you trust and respect to support you as you try to win the scholarship.  That is why, making sure that you approach the right person or people will definitely increase your chances in getting help to put towards the education you’ve always wanted.

When you choose a person to write a letter of recommendation for you, it does not necessarily mean that you approach a person whom you have known for a long time.  In fact, it does not necessarily mean that the person knows you very well at all.  Since the aim of the letter is to give an affirmation to you as an applicant for the scholarship, the person you should choose should be the one who can give a genuine assessment of your skills and qualifications.

He or she may not be a prolific letter writer. He or she may not have the greatest title before their name (although that never hurts).  He or she should know how to put his or her thoughts onto paper.  You also have to consider whether or not the person is going to be able to turnaround the recommendation letter in a reasonable time period.  In most cases, you don’t have long to get these recommendations to the scholarship committee.

Once you have determined who will write your letters of recommendation, approaching them is your next task. Keep in mind that you should inform that person why he or she is the one you have selected. Explain to the person the reason and purpose of writing the recommendation letter. Also remember that a good approach will lead to a better result and better letter content. The key is: be polite.  It also doesn’t hurt to explain why you think they will be able to support you the best (what is it about them that makes you want their endorsement).  Flattery never hurts.

Keep in mind that the letter of recommendation needs to work perfectly so your involvement is necessary. This means that once you have asked someone to write a letter of recommendation, you don’t leave him or her with the question, “What am I going to write about ?”  Be clear as to what you hope they will write and/or even provide them with a template… they may just sign it and call it a day.

Make sure you provide them with all the relevant details about you. List some your extra-curricular activities you think would be a great plus for you. Give the person every detail he or she should know about you to help and provide the person with a copy of your essay (the one YOU wrote for the scholarship committee) so that he or she would have an idea of the type of approach you are taking.

We wish you all the best with trying to get the scholarship(s) that you need to continue your education.  It’s usually a challenge as there are a bunch of other applications vying for the assistance.  You never know… those letters of recommendation may just end up being the deciding factor.  Choose your sponsors carefully!

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