Recommendation Forms – Tips & Tricks

Please be aware that many faculty are delighted to fill out a recommendation letter form for you. Asking for a letter now for a scholarship will also make it easier if you ever need a letter for a job, graduate school, etc. Some tips for asking faculty for letters of recommendation:

• Make sure to ask faculty as soon as you can so they have plenty of time.  
• Remind the faculty member of what classes you took with them (course and section number and semester), how they know you, etc.
• If you have a resume or CV ready, you could share that with the faculty member too. 
• Many faculty find it helps when students offer to provide some specifics that would be helpful for them to remember as they write your letter.
  • Examples might be assignments or work you did for the professor’s class and what they said about that work at the time, why their class was valuable for you, etc.
  • Some faculty also find it helpful when students explain why the scholarship would be helpful and/or why you think you are a good candidate for the scholarship.
  • FYI, the recommendation form asks faculty to comment on students’ academic/creative/humanities accomplishments or excellence, personal qualities, contributions to the class that the faculty member taught and/or other contributions to MSU or another community, and any other reasons that they recommend the student for a scholarship.