Academic Reference Letter

When you apply for a spot for graduate studies or apply for your first job while still studying or after you graduate, you will need some type of document to verify your academic history, character, and academic and/or career goals.

The document, in one way, will be one of your ticket to getting in to graduate school or getting the job you are applying for. One way or another, the said document is a legitimate basis or reference to whatever you have written in your general application form or letter.

As the applicant, you may have already figured out what general reference letter you will have to request. In the case presented above, you will have to request a reference letter that will verify your student number, grades, academic performance, good moral and character, and so on.

The letter will help you prove that you are worthy for a spot in graduate school or in the company. And will help the admission’s committee decide on how you can be more productive and conducive as a student or an employee.

If you are on the other end of the presented situation, you will be the person in charge of writing a document that will be referred to should the applicant make it to the first round of the deliberation or formal application.

The applicant may request for you to write a document that will help him/her verify the claims he/she has written in his/her application. It can be flattering to be personally requested to write a letter of reference at the same time it can be stressful to carry such responsibility. Nevertheless, that only goes to show that your judgment is seen as honest and unbiased by the person requesting the letter.

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What Is an Academic Reference Letter?

An academic reference letter is a two-paged letter that is most commonly used by students or student graduates during the process of application. It is used as one of the verifying documents that will help the admission committee to decide on the probability of the applicant getting the spot that he/she is applying for. You may also see business reference letter examples.

In college, universities will ask for at least two or three reference letters be it for undergraduate or graduate studies. However, the letter is not only limited to getting in the university, it can also be used to apply for a scholarship, internship or fellowship, and so on. You may also like employee reference letter samples.

In addition, the academic reference letter can also be used for when you are applying for a job.

And given if you don’t have enough experiences in the corporate world, the professional letter will serve as basis for your integrity, perseverance as a student that can be used once you are an employee, determination, character, and so on. In some companies that require or employ some sort of intelligence baseline, the reference letter can make true to your claims of being an achieving student or your high grades.

Overall, an academic reference letter is more than just the academic or grade factors. It can help students expand beyond what is stated in the general report card. It can provide an insight to the college admission committee or the future employer into what kind of student and/or potential employee they are. It provides an insight into the type of student or employee the applicant is going to be based on the character, attitude, and virtues he/she has displayed while being in the academe.

Academic Reference Letter Request Form Example

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Graduate Studies Academic Reference Letter Example

How to Request for an Academic Reference Letter

Of course you will have to ask someone from your former or current school to write an academic reference letter for you.

As mentioned above, the letter can help you apply for college or graduate school, can be an additional document for your scholarship, internship or fellowship application, and also for your job application. It is a simple yet very significant document that can help you yield good results. With that in mind, here is an easy guide on how you should request for a high quality academic reference letter:

1. Choose the right person/s

While you were attending your classes regularly, so were your other classmates, therefore, you professor might have even forgotten who you are and how well you did in class. If that is the case, you should make a list of all your potential references. The list should consist of the professors or personnel in the academe that can help you verify the kind of student you have been while being enrolled in the institution. You may also see business reference letter examples.

If the person you are asking for is reluctant to give you a reference letter, it is better to not pursue it. Find the most appropriate reference that you think knows how you did and what kind of a student you are or were. That way, you can be sure to have a good quality and well-thought-out reference letter that can help you in your application. You may also like reference letter for employment examples.

2. Set up an appointment to make the request in person

You should make time to request for an appointment in order to have a personal chat with the person you would like to be one of your references. Setting up an appointment will help you make sure that you will have an ample time to discuss what you have to discuss in person. During you appointment, politely ask them if they could be one of your references. You may also check out personal reference letter examples.

It will also be an advantage for you since your reference will have a chance to get to know you before he/she makes a simple reference letter for you. If the only chance your reference ever gets to experience being with you is through a sea of people during a class, it is best to have a one-on-one conversation with them, that way they will be able to write more than just a generic academic reference letter.

3. If scheduling is tight, you can also start out with an email

If both of you and your references’ schedules are tight and overloaded, and you both can’t simply meet in person, it is a good way to send them an email instead. Although meeting in person or a phone call is still a better option, sending them a professional email in advance is also a polite way of requesting them to be your reference.

The content of your letter should strategically help you convince the person to agree in writing you a reference letter or to make him/her agree to be your point of reference for college, scholarship or internship application, or for a job application.

In your email, use subject line that directly states your purpose for sending an email, stating “Academic Reference Request or Reference Request” in your subject line will do.

The content of your formal email should highlight the references’ qualification, it should also provide an outline on what you want to include in the letter as well as giving them the right to decline to request. Your email should be strategically substantial in order for your to secure that person’s letter of reference in your behalf.

4. Provide all relevant information

As mentioned above, you have to give the person you are requesting to your reference the right template or outline of what you want to include in the reference letter. It is simply inconsiderate to not give the information they will need to serve as guidance in writing a reference letter on your behalf. You might be interested in character reference letter examples.

Don’t let your reference think twice in giving into your request just because they don’t want to be bothered spending quite some time thinking on what to write in your reference letter.

Provide your reference with the relevant information that he/she might need in order to produce good quality reference letter. Here are some of the most important information you should give to your reference as their guide to writing an academic or professional reference in your behalf:

• Your full name and student ID number
• A reminder of how they know you and what made you special in their classes
• Attach a copy of your transcripts and your current CV or resume
• Details on what the reference is for
• Give the reference the deadline in which the letter should already be done and the actual address or email address where the letter will be sent.

As much as possible, include all of these information in the body of your request letter, sending them another attachment solely for this purpose will most likely be ignored and will be treated as nuisance.

Remember that the example given above is more suitable for email correspondence than that of a personal one since it is expected that you have already discussed the matters relevant to the request thoroughly when you had the meeting with your reference. You may also see academic reference letter examples.

5. Follow up before and after

In no way should you pressure your reference in writing the reference letter for you, that should be your obligation to request for the formal letter in advance. Before the reference letter is given or sent, send a friendly reminder to your reference about the deadline you have kindly stated in your request letter. And once the letter is given, follow up with a sincere thank-you for giving you their time of the day and going out of their way to be you reference and making you reference letter.

You can even send you reference a thank-you card or note expressing your gratitude for helping you out with your application process. This should go on all applications regardless of yielding successful and unsuccessful results. That way your reference will not regret his/her decision of being your reference and simply because it is a polite and respectful gesture.

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Conclusion

Just because it is called an academic reference letter does not mean you can only use it for academic purposes. The simple letter can also be used once you apply for a job while still studying or once you graduate.

The official letter will give your employer an insight on your overall personality, character, attitude, etc., as a future student of another institution or as an employee of an organization or company. We hope that you find the discussions in this guide helpful and we hope you find use for the given examples.