It is my pleasure to recommend Jane Doe for admission to [name of program] at [name of university]. I am a fifth-year Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley. I came to know Jane when I was her Graduate Student Instructor for Philosophy 111: Ethical Relativism, taught by Professor John Smith. The course comprised [short description of course]. Jane distinguished herself by submitting an exceptionally well researched and interesting project on ethical practices in ancient Greece. I would rank her in the top 2% of students that I have taught in the past five years in respect of her writing ability and research skills.
Overall, Jane is highly intelligent and has good analytical skills. Her project on ethical practices in ancient Greece demonstrated her ability to come a detailed understanding of the ethical practices of another, very different, culture, and to analyze the consequences of those practices for contemporary ethical theories. She gave a particularly interesting discussion of the difficult practice of infanticide, and showed both sensitivity and detachment when discussing its ethical consequences. Her overall intelligence is also reflected in her grades for the course, which were by far the best in the class.
Jane has excellent communication skills. Her written work is both clear and concise, as well as interesting to read. She demonstrated her oral articulateness in the discussion sections that were an integral part of the course. Each discussion section focused on a particular ethical dilemma. Students were required analyze morally problematic situations, and to develop and argue for their own ethical views with regard to the issue in question. Jane was highly proficient in applying the course material in analyzing the problem situations. She always explained her views very concisely and gave supporting arguments that were both clear and persuasive. Jane also demonstrated good teamwork skills in group assignments.
At a personal level, Jane is a well disciplined, industrious student with a pleasant personality. She went well beyond the course requirements in the quantity and quality of her project, putting in a lot of extra research and attending office hours every week. Throughout the course, Jane demonstrated great perseverance and initiative. Not only was she interested in and motivated to learn the material, but she also put great work into assimilating it to her own experience and developing her own ideas about each ethical topic that we discussed.
Jane is unquestionably an exceptional candidate for graduate study in Ethics. Jane’s work in Philosophy 111 suggests that she would greatly benefit from the opportunities for intellectual development provided by a sustained period of graduate study. She has proven herself to have the perseverance, initiative, and intellectual creativity necessary to complete an advanced graduate degree. I would therefore highly recommend Jane Doe. If her performance in my class is a good indication of how she would perform as a graduate student, she would be an extremely positive asset to your program.
If I can be of any further assistance, or provide you with any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Dear Admissions Officer Amy Adams:
It is with great pleasure that I am writing this letter of recommendation for Susie Student. In the past four years, I have taught Susie in a number of visual arts courses in all of which she has excelled. Based on my experience with Susie, I can say without the shadow of a doubt that she is one of the most naturally talented and hardworking art students with whom I have had the opportunity to work. She is exceptionally well prepared to move onto the collegiate level, and it is clear to me that she has a very bright future in the creative arts.
Susie is very mature for her age and she approaches her art with an astute sense of objectivity. She processes constructive criticism well and is always willing to go the extra mile in order to take her work to the highest level of formal and conceptual refinement. Susie has a very methodical creative process; she develops her concepts thoughtfully, creates interesting exploratory sketches, and builds meticulous scale models before she commits herself, with confidence, to the fabrication process. Once Susie begins fabrication, she works with precision and purpose. Her skills of craftsmanship are highly developed and she has an incredibly astute attention to detail. In addition, I have been impressed by Susie’s ability to couple her attention to detail with a broader stylistic focus that allows her to consider how effectively her compositions function as a whole. Therein, Susie creates sculptures that are cohesive in form and eloquent in their communication of sophisticated concepts. All in all, Susie is an incredibly well rounded art student who has found a way to balance all of the aspects of the creative process with apparent ease.
Aside from Susie’s natural artistic ability, it is important to touch on her work ethic and her presence in the classroom setting. Susie never settles for second best and she utilizes class time in a productive and determined manner. She arrives to class early and works late when the need arises. Due to this approach, Susie quickly became a role model for her peers in all of my classes. Students observed Susie’s commitment to the creative process and they strived to excel as she did. Though Susie is very talented, she is a humble young woman who never lets her abilities go to her head. She thrives off of the entire creative process both the successes and the challenges. Most importantly, Susie is always willing to help her classmates as they create. She offers both technical and conceptual support to her peers in a kind and caring manner that speaks to Susie’s patience and her understanding of the importance of collaborative learning.
In looking ahead to Susie’s college years, I am certain that she is ready to tackle the rigorous and challenging curriculum of the collegiate level. Susie will not take the path of least resistance, rather, she
will push herself to continue to grow and develop as a creative thinker. She will immerse herself in her new community and she will share her energy, enthusiasm, commitment and talent with her peers and her professors. Susie Student is an exceptional candidate and it is with the utmost confidence that I recommend her to your college or university. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
Sincerely, Timothy Teacher