GUIDELINES TO LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

• What Is A Letter Of Recommendation

• 10 Tips For Recommenders
• How To Get Good Letters Of Recommendations
• If You Are Writing The Recommendation Yourself
• What Are Recommendations For?
• Selecting The Right People To Recommend You.
• How To Go About Doing It?
• Sample Reco 1 to 14

WHAT IS A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

The letter of recommendation is a statement issued by the recommender which

is usually your college professors, Head of the Department, Project-Guide or your
superior if you are working. Most universities send Recommendation forms,
which are supposed to be filled by the recommender if possible. The form
contains a few qualities and a scale on which each quality is measured. The
recommender will usually ask you to evaluate yourself and prepare a rough
draft. The recommender will then make the changes and now you can get the
final copies of the letter. The recommender's designation and qualifications are
very important and it should be mentioned at the end of the letter. If you have
recommendation letters from someone who has taught in the US it will be a plus
point for you.

Please note that all the recommendation letters have to be sealed by

the professor / employer (basically the recommender) and typed out on
the letterhead of the college or the professor / employer. Make sure to
inform the recommender that the university may call him up and
inquire about you.

Please note that universities do actually call up the recommender many

a time.

The following are some of the tips for the recommender. The student can use
them when he is preparing the rough draft. In fact, you can pass these tips on to
your recommenders in case they don't know what to say and don't ask you to
say it.

10 TIPS FOR RECOMMENDERS

1. Review a copy of the applicant's personal statement or application essays

so that your letter of recommendation can dovetail with--not conflict with
or duplicate--the rest of the application.

2. Ask the applicant to supply you with additional information like a résumé.

3. Describe your qualifications for comparing the applicant to other

applicants.
 I have been teaching for twenty years and have advised
approximately 450 students on independent research
projects over the last five years.

I have personally supervised ten interns every summer for

the last five years plus worked with over two hundred college
graduates in my capacity as trainer for Big Bank Corp.

4. Discuss how well you know the applicant.

I was able to get to know Mr. Doe because he made it a point

to attend two of my sections every week when only one was
required.

Ms. Smith reported directly to me for two years prior to her

well-deserved promotion to the position of Senior in our Big
Six Accounting Firm.

5. Choose two to three qualities that you observed in the applicant.

Jane has a rare blend of top writing and interpersonal skills.

The combination of tenacity, analytical abilities, and good

communications skills found in Mr. Doe is truly unique.

6. In discussing those qualities, support your statements with specific

instances in which he or she demonstrated those attributes. Be as
concrete and detailed as possible

He is the only student I ever had who came to all my office

hours as part of a relentless, and ultimately successful, drive
to master financial theory. He was one of just ten percent in
the class to receive an A.

Because of Jane's writing skills, I didn't hesitate to ask her to

write a report which was used by our PAC as the basis for a
major policy statement. Congressman X eventually used the
statement, based on Jane's sophisticated 20-page analysis of
Middle East politics, in lobbying for increased funding.

7. Try to quantify the student's strengths or rank him or her vis a vis other
applicants that you have observed.

He was in the top 10% of his class.

She has the best analytical skills of any person her age that I
have ever supervised.

8. Avoid generalities and platitudes.

9. Include some mild criticism, typically the flip-side of a strength.

 The only fault I have encountered in him is his retiring
nature. His modesty sometimes hides a young man of
remarkable strength and broad interests.

Occasionally, her fortitude and persistence can turn into

stubbornness, but usually her good nature and level-
headedness prevail.

10.Discuss the applicant's potential in his or her chosen field.

I enthusiastically recommend Mr. Doe to your business

school. This well-rounded student will be a fine
businessperson..

With her exceptional leadership, writing, and quantitative

skills, Ms. Smith will be an outstanding strategic consultant
and and a credit to the business school she attends.

HOW TO GET GOOD LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Most of the materials you submit for the evaluation of your application to a
graduate program are objective and quantitative: grade-point average, Graduate
Record Exam scores, class standing, and so forth. Letters of recommendation are
the important exception; they should mention all your positive qualities not
revealed by objective data such as GRE scores. A substantive letter from an
informed referee can often be very persuasive to graduate admissions
committees, especially in "borderline" admissions decisions.

Letters of recommendation may touch on the following points of potential

interest to graduate admissions committees:

• How good are your research skills (of great interest to most graduate
programs)?
• Do you offer thoughtful contributions to class discussions?
• Do you have good interpersonal skills that enable you to get along with
faculty and other students?
• Do you exhibit strong leadership skills?
• Have you contributed to the various extracurricular activities of the
Department such as Psi Chi and the Psychology Club?

By mentioning subjects like these, letters of recommendation can provide the

"big picture" of your overall promise and potential, something not necessarily
revealed by test scores, but every bit as important for predicting success in a
graduate program. Admissions committees know this, and they read letters
carefully.

Letters of recommendation play an especially important role if there is some

anomalous or seemingly contradictory aspect of your application. For example,
consider a student whose financial or family problems had an adverse impact on
academic performance during a particular year. A letter- writer can offer an
explanation that prevents this from being held against the student.
Most schools ask you to provide three letters of recommendation. Naturally, you
should get letters from faculty who know you best. A bland or neutral letter, from
somebody who knows you only as a name on a class roll, can hurt more than it
helps.

Good prospects for good letters are your advisor and those faculty teaching the
smaller, intensive courses required of all majors such as Statistics and Research
Methods (your grades in which graduate schools review especially carefully).

Other helpful letters could be provided by faculty with whom you have done
Directed Research, those from whom you have taken several courses, or faculty
with whom you have an affinity and who know you well. Ideally, your referees
(letter-writers) are your advocates for admission. However, their advocacy can
be only as effective as their knowledge about you.

The single best thing you can do, to get a good letter of
recommendation--particularly if a teacher does not have a long acquaintance
with you--is to provide your letter writer with useful information. Here is
the type of information letter writers often find helpful:

• your overall GPA

• a list of psychology courses you have taken, and grades earned
• your minor if you have one
• the titles and abstracts of any research papers you have written
• honor societies to which you belong
• awards that you have won
• activities in which you have participated (and any offices held)
• work experience
• service activities such as volunteer work
• a description of your professional goals

With this information, you can help your referees make their best possible case
for you, to help you attain employment or admission to graduate school.

IF YOU ARE WRITING THE RECOMMENDATION YOURSELF

Make them sound different

Writing all your recommendations in the same style is just asking for trouble.
Remember that these recommendations will stay on your record for a long time
to come. So even if you aren't caught during the application phase, it's quite
possible that they'll come to haunt you, say, when you're begging for an
assistantship.

Don't use too many superlatives.

None, if possible. And never in pairs. Saying that you're the 'most brilliant'
student to have walked the halls of the college is poor English and likely to result
in that recommendation getting excluded if your transcripts don't back it up.

Make it believable
There's no doubt that you're the brightest student your professor has ever seen
(like the dozen others who have asked him to recommend them). But if your
professor puts you in the top 5% in every category that he's been asked to rank
you, and your transcripts show that you averaged in the bottom 25% of your
class, it's bound to raise some eyebrows. So take it easy on those adjectives and
percentages. Make sure you match up the assessments in the recommendation
with the hard figures that your transcripts reveal.

Try and talk about aspects of your personality that haven't been covered
elsewhere
The recommendation really is a magnificent opportunity to do this. So instead of
getting your professor to describe your entire project (which you've already
talked about in your resume/essay), say that he saw you grow during the year
that you were assisting him on the project. How your already superior
fundamentals in the subject were reinforced by your having developed
considerable finesse and accuracy in the laboratory.

Refer to the essay writing part of this site

Think of it like an essay. In fact, it is an essay. So for god's sake, give it structure
and flow; and work on that content.

Try to get across outstanding achievements

Read your resume and essay again. See if this recommendation provides you
with a chance to bolster some of the claims you've made elsewhere.

Co-ordinate with your goals

Think of what you'd like to be doing in the near future. For example, science and
engineering students generally seek assistantships in research or teaching once
they're at their university. It's quite likely that the person reviewing your
application for an assistantship will look at your application recommendations. If
someone recommending you has said something about your having presented a
seminar on 'Big dams are examples of poor engineering', or having conducted
outstanding research as part of your project, it would substantially add to your
chances of clinching the assistantship.

Use discretion and good judgement

Since you're depending on others for this part of the application, your staying
sensible is of utmost importance. Everything from scheduling meetings with the
person recommending, to giving them a deadline, to suggesting what they
should highlight in their assessment requires a lot of tact on your behalf. So stick
you

WHAT ARE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR?

Recommendations are meant to provide a third-person perspective on

you as an individual. While your grades/scores are supposed to
represent your intellectual capabilities and your essay allows you
the opportunity of presenting your point of view,
recommendations by those who know you give the university an
independent assessment of your skills and qualities.

Unfortunately, a number of applications ask for elaborate recommendations that

are frequently a burden on faculty and superiors. It's not uncommon to hear of
faculty asking the student to write his/her own recommendation and then editing
them for effect. This is even more likely to be the case in a work environment,
where few would like to waste their time answering often absurd questions.
In response to requests from visitors to our site, we've decided to provide some
advice on how to make the most of your recommendations.

Here's what we, ..uh, recommend...

Please note that by no means do we endorse the practice of applicants writing

their own recommendations. It put many students in a position they'd rather not
be in. But the sad fact is that many applicants have little say in this matter.

And even if you are fortunate enough to have people around you who are
prepared to write up their own recommendations for you, there are certain
aspects you could try to keep in mind.

SELECTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO RECOMMEND YOU.

Do they know you well enough

You don't want to go for someone who doesn't remember your name. Which is
why it's always prudent to stick with immediate superiors or professors (in an
academic setting). More importantly, will the university believe that they know
you well enough. If the CEO of the firm where you interned is recommending
you, make sure it's clear that your interaction with the recommender is apparent
in the write-up. The University could very well question the credibility of a
recommendation if it appears to have been manipulated.

How much credibility are they likely to hold with the university.
In academia, professors are likely to carry more weight compared to lab-
assistants. In any case, make sure that the professional competence of the
person recommending you is apparent.

Are they likely to give you a positive recommendation

And you want to be doubly sure of this. You may want to stay away from the
unreliable ones. If necessary, approach the person and ask them upfront. Since
they're likely to have written recommendations for applicants before, it's not too
much to expect them to understand your anxiety. However, use your discretion
in case you aren't too sure of how he/she will react.

Get some variety into your recommendations

For multiple recommendations, look out for whether the recommendations are
likely to rehash the same aspects of your personality. As far as possible, get
recommendations from people who've interacted with you in different situations.
For example, an engineering student would be well advised to get
recommendations from a professor, a lab instructor and someone like a project
guide. The professor could attest to the student's keen sense of class
participation. The instructor could focus on his/her skills in the laboratory and the
project-guide on his/her flair for research and getting to the root of problems.

Co-ordinate your recommendations with the rest of your application

If the somewhere in rest of your application you've focussed on something like a
particular project, it would be particularly useful to try and build on that by
providing a recommendation from the person who guided you through that
project. Likewise, if you've talked about your biggest achievement at work, how
about getting your boss at the time to recommend you.
HOW TO GO ABOUT DOING IT?

Make a list of persons you are going to ask to recommend you.

If possible, jot down a few extra names whom you could depend on in case of an
emergency.

Make sure they are willing to do so.

Talk it over with them. See if they are reasonably sure they'd like to do for you.
Be clear that recommendations are a pain for everyone involved, but most so for
those who have to actually write them up. No one enjoys writing
recommendations. And so you can't depend on someone who isn't too sure
he/she'd like to recommend you.

Make sure they know what you want to do

If they knew you were interested in marketing research and not finance, maybe
they wouldn't have said that you'd be a great asset to the finance class. Of
course, the persons recommending you are often busy people, so you may want
to give them a note alongside the rest of the material we've listed in our next
point.

ShowTime
Each of the persons recommending you deserves a copy of your resume. Along
with that, give them the original recommendation form and a copy too. In this
copy, give them points that you'd like covered in their write-up. If the form asks
them to list an incident where you displayed leadership skills, it'd make it easier
for them if you have provided them with a few incidents that you think would be
suitable. Let them do the descriptive part. Your job is to make sure they
remember a few relevant incidents. You could even attach a note saying that
you'd rather they talk about your pet project, etc.

Related Issues
Make your timeframe absolutely clear. And while we're on the topic, be
considerate and give them a few weeks to prepare your recommendation. Be
sure that you've given yourself a buffer of a week or two to make up for
unexpected exigencies. Also clear up whether they'd like to mail the
recommendation themselves or whether they want you to do the needful.
Consult the application brochure to make sure you're aware of what your
university prefers.

SAMPLE 1

Please use these samples as a guideline and do not reproduce this same draft to
your recommender

It gives me great pleasure to introduce Mr.Applicant as a promising and sincere

student of our institute. I have been closely acquainted with from past four years
of his undergraduate studies at your college name I had taught him the subject
of Applied Mathematics which is the backbone of computer science for three
years . I found him very sincere , responsible and dedicated to his course work.
He has interacted very closely with me and I am satisfied with him the level of
proficiency achieved by him in Applied Mathematics . One of his qualities was
that he used to get deeply involved in his work . He has leadership qualities and
was a active member of our student council. He used to take active part in
debates in our college . He was a good orator and has an excellent command
over the English language.

His intelligence ,sincerity and pleasing personality make him an asset to your
graduate program at your university. I strongly recommend admission for him in
your graduate school and for any financial assistance you can offer .I am
confident that he will not only continue to be a promising and competitive
student but would also be capable of efficiently discharging his duties as
graduate assistant as exemplified in the past. I wish him all the success for his
future endeavors.

Prof. XYZ
Phd.(MIT)

I have known Mr.XYZ for the past one year in my capacity as a Head of the
Department of Computer Science. I have taught him Computer organization and
Database Management Systems. He is a sincere and promising student of our
institution.

XYZ was one of the few students who took the initiative to make presentations
during the duration of his course. His presentation on comparative study of
database modeling was very informative and helpful to other students.

He was invariably well prepared for his lectures. He is attentive and fields
questions with ease. I judge XYZ to be one of the best students in the class. He
has an excellent command over the English language and expresses himself
clearly.

I strongly recommend him for Graduate Studies at your university and for
financial assistance in the form of Research or Teaching assistantship. I am
confident that he will live up to your expectations

Dr.ABC

SAMPLE 2

Recommending (YOUR NAME), a student of mine for the past two years is a
great pleasure for me. I have taught him (NAME OF SUBJECTS) during his third
and fourth year. He is one of the sincere, versatile, and brilliant students.

His meticulous, thought provoking nature and ability to do hardwork make him
an excellent candidate for research work. His proficiency and dedicated work
during lectures and practicals impressed me. He is punctual and perfectionist
about his studies and assignments which place him above all.

His dependable and trustworthy nature, modesty and tactfulness came forward
when he was crewmember in our intercollege festival (NAME OF FESTIVAL). As I
tried to know more of him, I found that he was selected in (NAME OF SOME EXAM
IN SCHOOL DAYS) during his school days.
He has good aptitude and curious mind to be successful in graduate studies.
From my heart, I feel he is a worthy candidate for admission to your university. I
recommend him with great confidence.

Sincerely,

NAME OF PROF.

SAMPLE 3

I know (YOUR NAME) for the past two years. He is a sincere and brilliant student.
I have taught him subjects of '(SUBJECT)' and '(SUBJECT2)' in which his
performance has been superlative. He scored (GOOD %) in '(SUBJECT)' during his
semester examination. He is a promising young student with good academic
skills and innate talents.

While answering his queries and doubts during lectures, I found that he has
penchant for research work. The diligence and intellectual ability, which he
displays during practicals, are a clear indication of his research potential. His
untiring industry and his scientific methodology make him unique form the rest.
He is doing his final year project ('NAME'), under my guidance. I have seen his
dedicated work and inquisitive nature, which he portrayed during this project
work.

Apart from his academic career, he is actively involved in extracurricular

activities. He was a member in the inter-college festival (NAME OF FESTIVAL). He
has also participated in many college functions and seminars.

I am sure, he is a deserving candidate for research work and I sincerely feel, if

given a chance (YOUR FIRST NAME) will definitely attain success in his further
studies. It gives me great pleasure to recommend him to you.

Sincerely,

NAME OF PROF.

SAMPLE 4

(YOUR NAME) has been my student for the last two years. I have taught him
subjects like (NAME OF SUBJECT1), (NAME OF SUBJECT2') and (NAME OF
SUBJECT3). He is brilliant student who shows spark in his undergraduate studies.

Because of his ability to learn subject from grassroots, I rate him as sincere
student. I am confident that his concentration, systematic work and great skills
in performing practicals will help him to achieve great success. He is a promising
young student with a penchant for learning.

He is zestful and a versatile student. He takes part in many college functions. His
courteous and reliable nature shines in intercollege festival (NAME OF FESTIVAL)
I appreciate his work during his undergraduate years and with full confidence I
recommend him to you.

Sincerely,
NAME OF PROF.

SAMPLE 5

It gives me immense pleasure to drop a few lines as reference for XXXXXX, a

chemical engineering student in my capability as the Head of the Institution. The
knowledge obtained in his discipline from one of the best colleges in India is
praise worthy. The college has provided creative knowledge to build a successful
career.

I should take privilege in explaining the chemical engineering program the

student has undergone. The program mixing the theoretical knowledge with
practical information is one of the elite of our institution. The well-resourced
faculty and the well equipped laboratories
certainly have cleared the uncertainties. The marks confirm his capacity and so
does college.

In my evaluation he has been one among the class talents. I can confidently
place him among the top 10 students. Apart from his academics, he has involved
in various student activities in the institution. His contribution in the Guest
lectures by various industrial personalities and the national level technical
symposium conducted by chemical engineering association received
appreciation. He represented the college football team for four consecutive
years.

I conclude my assessment with the self-belief that his inbuilt talent and the
requisite skill provided by the institution will make him a successful person. I am
confident that he will prove to be a resourceful student and certainly fulfill your
expectations in all aspects.
So I strongly recommend him for your esteemed university with assistantship.

SAMPLE 6

I am very glad to pen the letter of recommendation for X. I have known him for
four years and I can make an appraisal as the Head of the Chemical Engineering
Department, professor and project guide.

As a professor I handled two vital subjects along with practical classes, “Fluid
Mechanics” and “Chemical Reaction Engineering”. The interest he showed in my
subjects is highly laudable. The performance in these subjects of scoring good
marks at the university level confirms his capacity.

Considering his knowledge, commitment, curiosity in my subjects, I can place

him among the top 5% in his class. His project titled "Manufacture of Hydrogen
Cyanide" consisting of precise literature, material balance and energy balance,
equipment designing, and plant layout is praise worthy. The attention and the
work he showed in finishing it received appreciation. He has glib English. I was
able to observe at his project presentation and while delivering address in the
association functions.
Apart from academics, he participated in various activities of our association. He
served as the prominent association member and in the progress elected as
treasurer of the association and the national level technical symposium. He has
also received many awards for representing college football team and involving
in student activities.

I conclude my assessment with the confidence that X is a resourceful candidate. I

am certain that his dedication with sufficient knowledge will be an able
substance for research. Therefore I recommend him for the graduate degree at
your esteemed university with funding.

SAMPLE 7

It gives me great pleasure to drop a few lines as note of reference for X, a

student of chemical engineering program. I have known him closely for the past
four years as a senior lecturer. In my evaluation he is a sincere and potential
student of our department.

I handled two problematic subjects coupled with practical classes, “Heat

Transfer” and “Mechanical Operations”. The basic mathematical knowledge and
innovative thinking in solving tedious problem and rapidity in understanding the
concepts impressed me a lot. His curiosity in knowing the application areas of
the theoretical concepts is also exemplary. He approached me with his original
ideas intensified the affinity and paved the way to share more thoughts.

In practical classes his dedication in arriving at the exact reading, and the
perseverance and patience in doing long time experiments often drew the
attention of mine. The determination in updating the data and meticulous work
in the laboratory proves his potential to be a research student. The lectures he
presented in the seminar classes revealed his higher degree communication
skills.

X is a person with unique qualities. I had many chances to observe his qualities.
The involvement he showed in various student activities particularly while
leading the whole student team in conducting the national level technical
symposium led the way for
appreciation and awards. He has also been a part in cultural activities and a
prominent player in the college football team.

I conclude my assessment saying that the multi talented personality will be a

tangible asset. So I recommend him to your esteemed university with financial
aid.

SAMPLE 8

It gives me immense pleasure to recommend X to your department, whom I

have known for the past three years as the Head of Computer Science, which
puts me in a position to make a true estimate of his innate capabilities.
During the course of his study, X proved himself to be a hard worker and a good
team player. His work was always thorough and comprehensive, and his
analytical skills are very good. Apart from the regular course work, his impetus
and capacity for independent study propelled him to do projects in
“Steganography”, “Macro-processor”, “Instant Messaging and Gaming”.

He has self-motivation to understand new technologies quickly and get a clear

and in-depth understanding of it. Inclined to research, he wrote a paper on
”Stored-Random Early Detection for Congestion Avoidance” which was presented
in the National Level Technical Symposium and he is working to improve
reliability in the existing peer to peer system in his project “Hybrid Replicating
Peer to Peer System”.

Apart from programming, he is popular among his counterparts for explaining

things in a lucid manner. His classmates benefited the most when he handled
critical concepts in Computer Networks such as Congestion control and Routing
algorithms. His command over English complements his excellent
communication skills. He was one of the organizers of the “System Design”,
“Surprise” events in our technical symposium “Virtuoso `01 `02”, and is an
active participant in the Placement activities.

I would rank him in the top 5% of all students, I have evaluated with in the past
years. I would strongly recommend him for the graduate program with full
financial assistance.

SAMPLE 9

It gives me great pleasure to introduce X whom I know as an undergraduate

student in Computer Science and Engineering. I have taught him the Discrete
Structures, which I handled in his pre-final year, provided me an opportunity to
closely follow and observe him.

He has maintained an excellent academic record and has been a consistent

performer in the various tests and exams conducted. I was impressed by his
ingenious skills and aptitude to solve any problem. He has a good grasp of the
fundamentals of computer science and he integrated the concepts of Discrete
Structures in his projects to optimize the solution.

He is an attentive and inquisitive person in learning new technologies and hence

I strongly believe that he has an enormous potential for a rigorous advanced
study and research. I was impressed by his paper on “Stored-Random Early
Detection for Congestion Avoidance” which confirmed his inclination towards
research.

He has a good command over both written and oral English and has the potential
to become a good teacher. His greatest asset is his practical approach and
handling difficult situations with ease. This was evident when he organized the
National Level Technical Symposium “Virtuoso ’01 ’02”.

With his outstanding intelligence, uniqueness and dedication, I place him among
the top 5% students I have taught. I strongly believe that he has high potential
for success in higher studies and strongly recommend his candidature for
admissions to M.S program in your University with full assistantship.

SAMPLE 10

I am very much pleased to issue this letter of recommendation for X who has
been one of my most illustrious students for the past two years. I have taught
him Software Engineering, TCP / IP and Artificial Intelligence. This has given me
the chance to determine his scholastic credentials for future studies.
He contributed by taking seminars on various topics and exhibited his ideology
on computer science. He has the inclination to analyze technical details to its
minutiae. His interests include solving conundrums and optimizing solutions. I
would rank him among the top 5% of the students in his class.

He is a very conscientious and a good team player. He has done innovative

projects exploring new technologies. He proved his research credentials when he
wrote a paper on “Stored-Random Early Detection for Congestion Avoidance”
which was presented in the National Level Technical Symposium and he is
currently working to improve reliability in the existing peer to peer system in his
project “Hybrid Replicating Peer to Peer System”.

He is cheerful and unassuming. I had always found him proactive and initiative. I
appreciate his active participation in organizing our National Level Technical
Symposium, “Virtuoso ’01 ’02”.

His communication is clear, concise, and evocative. His intellectual ability,

originality, creative research potential, excellent teaching skills and co-operation
while working in a team are his main forte.

I strongly recommend X for admission with full Financial Assistance in your

esteemed institution. I am confident that he will prove to be an excellent
researcher as well as a tutor.

SAMPLE 11

I have known X as a sincere and highly motivated student in the Electronics and
Communication Department for the past three years in my capacity as Professor,
Head of the Department (Electronics and Communication Engineering). With this
background I am sure I can assess her capabilities for a future academic career.

I have handled the subjects “Solid State Circuits-II“ and “Communication

Engineering“. The quality of interaction she had with me during the class
impressed me. Her alertness in the class room and her involvement in research
were indicative of her abiding interest in the subject. She has performed very
well in her assignments and class works with a good analytical approach towards
understanding the root of any problem. Her ardor for a deeper understanding of
the subject has enabled her to acquire a good technical knowledge.
She has maintained a healthy academic record and has been ranked among the
top 5% of the students of her class. She has done innovative projects exploring
new technologies. She proved her research credentials when she pursued
research on ECG waveforms. She created an “ECG SIMULATOR” with which won
her laurels in National Level Technical symposiums and got credit to the
institution. She has also done fair number of project and papers presentation
exploring new technologies.

She is capable of independent planning, organizing and execution of assigned

tasks. She is very enterprising, co-operative and responsible .By her genial
disposition, patience and strong integrity, she has always excelled in group
tasks, which was evident when she was one of the coordinators of “Digitalk
2002” a National Level Technical. Besides her academic interest she has also
been the treasurer of the “Rotract Club” and has handled the responsibilities and
pressure with ease.

She has got very good communication skill and has clarity of thought combined
with good command over English Language. She has delivered several seminars
and lectures. In these she portrayed her capabilities as a teacher.

I feel that her academic proficiency and potential for research makes her one of
the truly outstanding candidates I have come across. I recommend her strongly
with no reservation for admission to the Graduate Program at your University
preferably with financial aid.

SAMPLE 12

I have known the applicant X for the past three years as an undergrad student in
our institution. I have interacted with him both on and off the classroom and
hence I can confidently assess his capability.

He is a well-disciplined and enthusiastic student with a high degree of

scholarship. He holds an excellent academic record and I would place him in the
top 2% of students I have come across.

He has an insatiable zeal to learn more about the subject as he delves into it,
which increases his realm of knowledge beyond the limits of syllabus. He has the
ability to visualize and link together the fundamentals of each subject. He has
good English proficiency which makes him an ideal student for research.

I have been observing him in terms of personality and academics and would
unhesitatingly state that he is most suited for a research career. I strongly
recommend his candidature for admission with full financial assistance for
graduate studies at your institution.

SAMPLE 13

It gives me great pleasure to pen this letter of recommendation for X who has
been an outstanding undergraduate student in Electronics and Communication
Engineering Department. As an Assistant Professor and Project guide for X, I
have known him for the past three and a half years. I find him to be highly
motivated, disciplined and of exceptional character.

I have taught him the courses “Measurements and Instrumentation”, “Antennas

and Wave Propagation”, “Television Engineering”, “Microwave Communication”,
and one practical paper in “Microwave Communication”. In each of these classes,
I have found him to be actively involved with the class discussions.

Academically, I would rate him among the top % of the students in a class of
65. His current project “Smart Camera Surveillance System” is in line for the best
project award. Apart from this project, he has also undertaken and completed a
project “Speech Verification using Virtual Instrumentation”. This apart, he has
conducted a research on Infrared communication during his semester holidays.
He is currently carrying out his research in wireless communication.

He has participated in “Digitalk 2k2”, a technical symposium conducted by our

department. He has also taken active part in many seminars. A few days ago, he
presented a seminar regarding his current project in which he gave an
introduction into the tools and techniques used in the project. I was truly
impressed with his oratorical skills. His command over English is also excellent.

Judging from the amount of research and his thirst for better understanding, I
find him to be an apt student to pursue higher studies in your esteemed
university with full financial aid.

SAMPLE 14

X, being an intelligent, hardworking professional, it gives me immense pleasure

in recommending him. As the Head of Department, I have been closely
associated with him over the past three and a half years. I have handled two
courses for him namely, ‘Solid State Circuits II’ and ‘Communication
Engineering’.

Being an avid reader, he has the habit of keeping in touch with the latest
developments. His analytical and mathematical skills are unsurpassed by most in
his class. He has done a project in designing a protection circuit for a
rechargeable watch. The project titled ’Overcharge Prevention for REQ’ is
currently being implemented by one of the leading watch manufacturers in India.

His diligence is reflected in his percentile of marks and he ranks among the top
% of students in his class. He has also participated in many seminars and has
organized many functions. Last year he took active part in our department
function as the Master of Ceremony.

An active member in class, his insatiable thirst for knowledge has resulted in
many an interesting discussion. His command over English is impeccable and he
has excellent communication skills.

A highly disciplined student in every aspect and a true prodigy is the best way I
can describe him. I have faith that he will perform very well if given the chance
to prove himself. I would therefore recommend him to your university with
financial aid.