Best Ways to Write Scholarship Recommendation Letter
Academic and professional letters of recommendation play a key role in most international study program applications and some scholarship applications. It is the reason why I will present to you the best tips that have assisted me and my clients study and win scholarships overseas.
What is Scholarship letter of recommendation?
The letters of recommendation or references in academic processes and scholarships is a document where a third party outlines who he is, how he knows you and the reasons why he is recommending you to the particular study or scholarship program.
By doing so, the institution or the provider of the scholarship wants to have a second chance on what you suggest, and therefore check your character and your performance. That is, the primary purpose of the recommendation letter is to support what you have written in other documents (the CV and the Motivation Letter ) and to gain extra information about your profile.
Who is to write Recommendation Letter to Scholarship?
Contrary to common notions, letters of recommendation do not have to be written by some high and mighty individual like the dean of the faculty or the general manager of the company you have been working with.
Organizations desire letters of individuals who have been in close contact with you and who possess first hand information on your personality and performance. So when selecting a reference better to select professors, thesis supervisors, bosses or even co workers.
Note: These individuals might not be aware of how to write a letter, might wish to ensure that they provide you with what you require and / or might not have time to write the letter. Thus they will require you to provide them with guidance and in certain instances you write that recommendation letter and have them read and sign in the future. So you can exchange and / or consider the following tips:
Header Tips for Recommendation Letter
Recent date: Do not send letters that you have already requested to make the other calls and that are general.
Title or motive: “Letter of Recommendation” or “Reference”
Specifically aimed at the program / scholarship provider: The letter of recommendation should clearly indicate to whom it is showing personalization and significance. That is why things such as: To whom it may concern should be avoided. Some good examples are:
- “Colleagues of the Faculty of Economic Sciences …”
- “Members of the admissions committee….”
- “University of ….”
Content Tips for Recommendation Letter
To be included in your letter of recommendation should be the following components:
Reason: The recommending person elaborates why you are going, and specifically mentions the program to which he is referring you.
Who he is and how he knows you: The recommender must identify himself and the institute he employed and his acquaintance with you. For example:
- “As a teacher of the course of International Relations of the National University …”
- David was my pupil of the course of…
Description of the program or work: It is also important that reference contextualizes the reader concerning the nature of the program or the work done by the person whom he recommends. And by so doing to it assign the weight. For example:
- The Mechanical Engineering course takes approximately 20 hours of studies ….
- The development of these activities requires teamwork ….
- The responsibility in this position is high because ….
The reasons why he/she recommends you: A lot to do with the above, here the person making the recommendation tells you about your personality, academic and / or professional capability that qualifies you as the best fit in the program to which you are applying. For example:
- Pepe demonstrated… and good management of… .. “
- This is why Juana was unique during the time that she worked with me; she was unique because of her…. Y ….”
- “I recognize Pepe as a person….,…. Y …..”
- “Joan managed …”
Recommendation reinforcement: In the last section of the letter the person who is recommending you must highlight that you are the right person to fit into the program you are rolling in with things as:
- I do think that Pepe will contribute a lot to the program of … and university x.
- “I am of the conviction that Juana… ..
- “He is also … and …”
To ask more and dismiss: It is a good idea that the person who recommends you is willing to answer questions before the selection committee, and must show it before the end of the letter, in the form of things such as:
Questions: feel free to get in touch.
I will be happy to answer the questions you might pose.
Instructions on how to obtain highly recommendation letters on scholarship.
Request them early enough: The individuals that will be writing your letter of recommendation are likely to have several obligations and thus will need a minimum of 1 month to compose your letter of motivating. Remember that time and the deadline on which the applications should be submitted in order to submit all complete documentation on time.
Send your CV and motivation letter to the following: It is preferable that the individuals with whom you are going to write your letter of recommendation know what you have accomplished and why you want to be part of the program in which you apply. It is thus strongly suggested that you meet with them where you can share your experience and plans or in the process you can share documents like your curriculum vitae and motivation letter.
In the case of academic recommendation letters: In case you graduated more than 2 years ago and had lost contact with your professors, it is essential to be extremely careful with whom you have chosen to represent you as a reference and how you approach him to seek the reference.
You can remember those teachers with whom you were outstanding or with whom you had the most contact in such a way that whenever you call them and tell them that it is you, they can recall you more easily.
I suggest that prior to making any inquiries you first make some preliminary contacts to rebuild the relationship. This you can do via e-mail or even a phone call or even a personal visit, update the individual on what you have already done since the time has elapsed, what you intend to do with your further studies and get their view on it.
How to format Scholarship Recommendation Letter.
It follows the specifications that you are requested to provide: e.g., the institution can request that the letter of recommendation come in a predefined format, that it be signed by designated individuals and / or be enclosed in a sealed envelope. In this case, heed those instructions since they are application requirements and failure to abide by them can result in your instant disqualification.
Language: In case it is in an English program, it is best that it should be written in the language and the individual acting as the reference should be able to respond to questions in the language. Nonetheless, it is not obligatory that it should be treated in the same manner as you may add an official translation to your letter of recommendation.
Length: The letter of recommendation should not exceed 1 to 1.5 pages of Time New roman, Arial or calibri letter in 12-point font with normal spacing and margins. In this manner you ensure that it is concrete and at the same time descriptive.
Letterhead: The letter should preferably be typed on a letterhead of the institution the teacher is in or the organization where your boss happens to work. This makes the document more formal and hence more confidence.
Contact details: The letter should explicitly provide the telephone, postal address and email of the individual who is recommending you. By doing this, the institution that is doing the evaluation gets the chance to reach out to the person who has recommended you in order to get to know the facts.
Letter of Recommendation Template
To Whom It May Concern:
It is my great pleasure to highly recommend [Applicant Name] to [position with Company Name or acceptance to Institution Name].
I am [Your Name], a [your position] at [Institution or Company]. I have been in the field [number] years and have observed numerous young professionals entering and leaving the field in the course of my work. One person that I have worked with is [Applicant Name], and he is unique.
The Applicant Name showed tremendous abilities in [skill, trait, experience, class, etc.], during our discussions. One of the initial impressions that I had of [Applicant Name] was fairly positive, though over the course of our working together together, her grasp of [key topic] enhanced significantly compared to that of the others.
[Include personal narrative to expound on major skills, trait, experience].
It is not her technical abilities alone that impress me though. Applicant Name was a pleasure to deal with due to her fantastic positive attitude and [positive attribute]. Her [positive characteristic] and [positive characteristic] were also needed and appreciated not only by me, but also by her colleagues, who frequently had to count on her to do things.
I have no doubt that [Applicant Name] would fit there in your [Institution/Company]. She will not only contribute the kind of skills and experiences you are seeking in an applicant, but she will also soon be a good asset and will contribute to the growth of your [Institution/Company] in any way she can.
In case you require further details or certain examples, then there is no need to hesitate to contact me at [contact information]. Since this might be only a recommendation letter, which might be just a snapshot of her talents and achievements, I would be delighted to discuss more about my experience of working with her.
Sincerely,
[Your Name, Company, and Title]
Recommendation Letter Example
March 17, 2021
College Scholars Program
University of Tennessee
123 Business Rd.
Business City, NY 54321
To Whom It May Concern:
It is my great pleasure to recommend Joe Bloom to the University of Tennessee to include him in the College Scholars Program.
I taught Joe a series of English classes over the four years he studied in Morristown-Hamblen High School, and AP English his junior year. At our classes Joe exhibited a breadth of creativity, wit and critical thinking that is very rare among high school students.
His writing and research abilities are quite phenomenal – in his major essay project of AP English he did a phenomenal research and wrote a study of visual imagery in the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
The breadth of Joe’s intellectual capacity is so broad that he will be bored by the majority of the courses taught at the Freshman and Sophomore Level in the Liberal Arts. He is willing to take and perform well in upper division course work, and has the self-drive to effectively develop and follow an independent program of honors study.
The academic competencies of Joe are balanced with his proven leadership qualities – he played the drums major of our band in his second year and was also the Vice President of the Student Council and the Editor of our high school yearbook. He is also an active member of his church, and the Sierra Student Coalition.
Please do not hesitate to ask me to give any additional information to make Joe stronger to be accepted at the College Scholars Program.
He possesses a very special spark and I hope he will go a long way in transforming our world into a better place.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Owens (signature hard copy letter)
Jennifer Owens