Almost, all the graduate schools ask you for letters of recommendation. Some of them require two while others require as much as four. A graduate school letter of recommendation, unlike an employment one, can be taken either from your employer, if you have been working, or from the previous school you had attended. The graduate school wants the letter so that they can verify your credentials.
A letter of recommendation for an application to the graduate school should be taken from employer only if the job is relevant to the course you are applying for. Anyway, you need one letter from your previous school as well. This letter should generally be taken from a teacher with whom you have had a direct contact. That means it is better to take the letter from your project guide rather than from the principal or head of the school.
This letter should contain your achievements as a student in the particular school, which may range right from your grades to the extracurricular activities that you might have been involved in. A letter of recommendation should generally avoid any negative comments about the candidate's profile. On the other hand, it should also not brag too much about him, it should not go overboard while praising him. The letter should serve as a real reflection of the candidate's abilities and not foster any false impressions in the reader's mind.
We are providing you with a sample recommendation letter written by the project guide of a candidate:
Date: 23/9/2011
Kyle Davis
Professor (Physics)
Boston School of Science and Scientific Studies
827, West End,
Boston, MA, 36259
kyle.davis@email.com
(894) 548-9564
Subject: Letter of Recommendation for Frank Thatcher
I am writing this recommendation letter for Frank Thatcher in the capability as the project guide for him during his last semester in our institution. Frank has completed his bachelor's degree from our school with excellent grades and now wants to further his educational qualifications by acquiring a post- graduate degree. He is a energetic and capable fellow, who would certainly go on and excel at whatever he does in his life.
Frank has always secured good grades throughout his undergraduate degree. Actually, he was constantly amongst the top 5 students in his class. His intellect is evident not only from his grades but also from his general inquisitiveness about all the concepts of science as well as his choice of electives. He has always chosen the most esoteric subjects, just for the sake of challenging his intellectual capacity. Moreover, during his project under my guidance, he once again proved his capability by working and producing results on a pretty difficult subject.
Not only in the academic setting, but Frank's distinction can be seen through his behavior with his classmates and teachers too. He is a thorough gentleman, quite polite and friendly even with the most unpopular students in the school. He is loved and adored by everyone, students and teachers alike. He gives appropriate respect to all his teachers and has seldom broken any of the school rules. However, he is very adamant and does not budge at all if he thinks that the thing he is doing is right. He always upholds the right side of the matter and does not concede until the other person sees the light in his argument.
Ultimately, I would like to add only one more thing. Frank has been the most ideal student I have had in years. You would certainly benefit by giving him admission in your institution. He is guaranteed to add some more value to it. Particularly, in the fields of research, he is sure to outshine all others. Hence, I highly recommend him to you based on my association with him over the last four years and particularly in the last semester during the project.
You can feel free to contact me on the number provided if any need be.
Yours Sincerely,
[Signature]
Kyle Davis