All You Need to Know About Letter of Recommendation

When applying for a prestigious college or university, usually abroad, students come across the term "Letter of Recommendation." This is quite a common term for graduate and post-graduate students to hear about during their academic admissions. But, in case you're not aware of it, then this blog by the Gradding.com experts will give you a better insight into it. So, let's start with the definition of LOR.

What Is a Letter of Recommendation?

A letter of recommendation for students who want to study abroad is a document drafted by their professor or project guide. This document is attached to the student application, which supports their knowledge, skills and learning. This letter is demanded by most universities abroad to understand student relations and skill-set better. Let us now look into the LOR in detail:

What Is the Importance of LORs?

LORs play a critical role in students' study abroad applications; everyone knows it. But why? We will let you know that here:

• It is a reflection of you as an academic person
• It includes your achievements from a third person’s perspective
• It covers both your strengths and weaknesses
• It is about who you are from a professional’s POV
• It also covers the personal characteristics of the student

All these pointers mentioned here are covered in the LORs to reflect a clear picture of the student in a position eligible to study abroad at a selected university. But, one thing that is often troublesome is students get confused between resumes, cover letters and LORs. So, let's take a quick look at how these are different from each other.

LORs vs Resumes vs Cover Letters

Confusion is probable when working on similar documents like a resume, cover letter or letter of recommendation. But you can avoid it with this clarification:

This might give you a better insight into what is a letter of recommendation and how it is different from others. Now, let's take a quick look at the different types of LORs so you can know which one to use and when.

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What Are Some Popular Types of LORs?

There are multiple types of Letters of Recommendation, each serving a specific purpose. Here, we will look at a few that are useful for students in academic life:

Academic LORs

This is the most common type that is recommended for students dreaming of studying abroad. It is a letter written by teachers or professors who closely worked with the student and recommended them for this opportunity to study abroad at a reputed university that would embar the student's journey to success.

Character LORs

This is another important type of letter of recommendation that is penned by a person connected with the student at a non-academic and non-professional level. It is to display the characteristics, behavioural traits and attributes of the student and their relationship with others.

Research LORs

If a student is applying for a degree based on research and study, this is the apt LOR type. Yes, the research letter of recommendation is drafted by someone who has worked on the study and analysis process with the student. The person pens this letter to put forward the student's research abilities that can help him in further academic line as well.

Graduate School LORs

As the name says, this is a letter penned down to recommend the student to graduate school. These are attached to the applications sent to graduation schools. These are drafted to mention the writing and researching skills of the students that can help them prove as eligible persons for the applying graduation school.

Admission LORs

Another popular type of letter of recommendation is admission LORs. These are used to include the academic traits, characteristics, skills, achievements and potential of a student. These reflect the skills of the student that make him eligible to get admission into his dream college/university.

Along with these LORs, there are a few more that are generally used for working purposes and stand on what makes the student the right fit for that job role; they include:

Now, you know about a few popular types of letters of recommendation. So, let's now understand how to draft an impressive LOR in the next section.

How to Write LOR? | Guidelines & Keypoints!

LORs or letters of recommendation are written to justify a student's application for admission into a particular university/college. So, this document should be drafted considering the specific guidelines of the selected university/college.

Guidelines for Writing Letter of Recommendation:

There are a few common guidelines that must be followed by all, irrespective of the college/university, which are:

• Language: Formal and Respectful
• Tone: Professional, Positive and Supporting
• Highlight: Extra-curricular Activities, and Academic Achievements
• Introduction: Emphasise Skills and Relevant Experiences
• Body: Examples to Support, and Unique Attributions
• Conclusion: Strong Endorsement and Confident Recommendation

These are a few common guidelines for writing LORs. Now, let's look at the key points to check in the LOR before submission to ensure it is flawless.

5 Keypoints to Check in LORs Before Submission:

Here are the five points a student must check in his LOR before he attaches it to the application for submission:

• Consent of the Candidate - Though it may sound naive, it is very important to have the candidate's consent to ensure the LOR is honest and genuine.

• Key Strengths of the Student - The LOR should include the strengths as it catches the reader's attention during the reading.

• Relevant Examples and Anecdotes - These are a must because they add a sense of reliability or prove honesty with support. So, ensure they aren't missed in the rush.

• Weaknesses and Areas of Improvement - Making the LOR sound real and true is also important. These can be the areas that the student is working on, and the university can assist with it too.

• Alignment of LOR with the Requirement - This is crucial because if there is no alignment between the requirement of the university and the letter, then the purpose will be unjustified, and the letter wouldn't do any help to the student.

These are a few main pointers every LOR should include, and thus, students need to double-check before attaching this to their application. Now, let's check out the writing format for LORs.

What Is the Writing Format for a Letter of Recommendation?

Here’s the ideal format for writing a letter of recommendation. These can vary and be specific from university to university:

Address and Date 

This section covers the addressing part, such as a gesture to greet the recipient and the date on which this letter was written. This is the first part of the letter that the reader notices.

Introduction 

The relationship of the person writing the letter with the student is explained here, and it also covers the reason why the student is apt for admission and how important is the person's experience with the student.

Body 

In the body part of the letter, the writer mentions the quality of the work, the skills of the student and the characteristics or attributes that make him the right person to get admission into this dream university.

Conclusion  

The letter's conclusion emphasises the student's strong points that justify his contribution towards the university and how getting into it can help the student create a win-win situation for both.

Letter Summary  

This is another crucial section of the letter, which is usually used to strongly endorse the student. It is also written in a positive and supportive tone to leave a good impression on the reader.

Signature  

This is the last part of the letter that includes the name and details of the writer. Finally, it includes contact information in case the reader wants to know anything specific from the writer.

How to Write a LOP That Leaves a Long-lasting Impression? [With Gradding Experts' Help]

If you are here with the query, "How to grab the council's attention with your LOP, " you're covered! Gradding.com has professionals with years of experience and expertise that can help you with the ideal 'Letter of Recommendation', which would leave the reader awestruck and impressed. That's not all; you can fulfil your dream of flying to countries and studying abroad with our expert guidance. So, why wait more when you can reach out to them now?