资源描述：
《留学申请：Advice to Graduate School Recommendation Letter Writers.pdf》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、AdvicetoGraduateSchoolRecommendationLetterWritersShriramKrishnamurthiFirstversion:2008-03-25.Revised:2008-03-26(thanks,KathiFisler).Revised:2010-10-21,2010-11-20,2012-05-04.SomeyearsagoIwastalkingtoavisitingscholarwhowasafacultymemberinaforeigncountry.Iaskedherwhylettersfromhercountryseemedt
2、obesouninformative.Shepointedoutthatthere,facultyneverreadletters:theyonlywritethem.Evengraduatestudentsareadmittedpurelyonthebasisoftestscores.Thefactswerehardlysurprising—afterall,thisisthesystemIgrewupwithinIndia—butafterhearingthewaysheputit,theproverbialbulblitup.Ifyouneverevaluatelette
3、rsyourself,howwouldyouknowwhatlettersshouldandshouldn'tcontain?Thefeedback—admissiondecisions—isseeminglyrandom,andthereforeoflittleuse.Hencethisarticle.Disclaimer:Thisisanextremelypersonalopinion.Itdoesn'trepresenttheviewsofmydepartmentormyuniversity.Moreimportantly,manyfacultymaydisagreewi
4、ththeopinionshere,sousethemwithcaution!Feedbackwelcome.Whatthisdocumentisabout:WritingeffectiverecommendationlettersforPhDstudentsapplyingtocomputersciencePhDprogramsintheUS.Whomthisisfor:Letter-writerswhoareunsureofwhatmakesforagoodletter.Thismayalsohelpstudentspreparebetterdossierstogiveth
5、eirletter-writers.(Abravestudentmightevenpointherletter-writertothisarticle.)Alsoread:MorHarchol-Balter'scomments,MichaelErnst'sadvice.WhyLettersMatterDoesanyonereadthelettersatall?Wedo,rigorously,sometimesascarefullyaswereadaresearchpaper:peninhand,circlingcomments,annotatingmargins,notingw
6、hattheletterdidanddidn'tsay.Infact,lettersaresoimportant,evenabadtranscriptcanbeoffsetbythem.Iknowastudentwhogotintoafinegraduateprogramwithjusta2.67GPA.Thisisbecausehis2.67wasspecial:heacedhardclassesandgotboredineasyones.Hisletterspresumablysaidso,andillustratedthiswithseveralanecdotes.So,
7、notevery2.67isequal,andyourstudent'smaybeofjusttherightkind;butwewon'tknowthatwithoutyourletter.MyConstraints(or,TheOne-MinuteRule)WhenI'monthecommittee,Itrytoreadeveryapplication;whenIchairit,ImakesureIdo,somemultipletimes.That'smanyhundredsofappl
