Letters of Reference

[EmsW]

I have a question regarding letters of reference for MSW programs in NYC. I am currently looking at (and most likely applying to) five different programs. Its been mentioned at a few different info sessions I've been to that letters should be tailored to each school, or at the very least the name of the specific program should be mentioned in each letter.

 

My question is how tailored do the letters need to be? Should I ask my references to emphasize different strengths depending on the program? Or is it enough to send out the same letter with the name of the school switched? I'm pretty much using the same references for each program, and it seems like a lot to ask them to write 5 different letters.

 

How have you guys approached this?

[Lifesaver]

When I applied last year, each application had me list the email addresses of the professors/professionals who were writing my letters of recommendation. They gave me no sense of the prompt; just wanted an email address. Therefore, it was hard for me to ask anyone to write anything specific or prep them. With that said, I trusted each of my letter writers' judgment, which is why I chose them to write on my behalf in the first place. Also, it's likely that they've written a LOR or two (or hundreds) and they know how it goes. Don't worry. They will do the right thing!

[EmsW]

Thanks for the advice!

[ns2564]

I am a bit conflicted about who should write my letters of recommendation. So far, I have asked a previous professor of mine and my current boss--I work at a service agency. However, for the 3rd letter, would it be better to ask my previous employer or another professor? To give you more context, my previous employer is also a service agency, and my old supervisor has an MSW. However, I have read on different schools' websites that you should pick someone who will write a strong  letter, and I take that to mean well written as well as insightful (about you, the person). I don't know if my old supervisor necessarily knows me as well as the second professor that I am considering, and while I have no doubt that they can write me a strong letter in the articulate sense, the professor can do this as well. However, I'm trying to decide whether two people who have seen me in the field would be better able to vouch for me than two people who have seen me in the classroom--or which combination an applications committee would prefer. 

[MotoX]

I'm running into a problem as well, I graduated with my BA in 2010 and hardly remember any professors. Should I try to find them to get a LOR even though they likely won't remember me? Or should I contact my previous bosses (Lieutenant from working in corrections and prior to that would be a casino security supervisor)? Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[RiemannForBeginners]

That's terrible advice, sorry. For a strong letter of support, you should do this:

1. contact the professor (email or in person by appt) and explain the reason for your interest in grad school, including what you are passionate about/population interest

2. remind the prof of some positive interaction between the two of you (comments on a great paper, a presentation you did, something very specific)

3. Attach your resume, and personal statement if completed

4. ask if they are willing to write the letter- indicate that if they'd like to talk in person/phone/have questions you'd be happy to meet/chat

5. Tell them what you want them to emphasize. For instance, "School xxx has a trauma-informed curriculum, so they are especially interested in my interest in working with at-risk children"

6. Give an out- let them know clearly the deadline date (and make sure you ask at least 3 weeks out)

7. profuse thanks. this is a lot of work.

 

this gives them all the context and content to write a good letter. If you're asking for multiple schools, let them know all at once so they can change the name/info for schools all at once instead of as each of those annoying emails from the graduate school comes. Multiple letters are ok if that's part of the agreement going in, but don't ask for a letter and then send 5 of those auto-responders.

 

I couldn't agree more. One of the profs I work with requires this from her students and although she wasn't my recommender, I adopted her requirements and sent this to my recommenders: a table filled out with the following:

- full name of school

- full name of program

- LOR deadline

- Information about the program: for ex, clinical advanced social work, or social work policy, etc

- Notes about what the program is looking for in applicants, which you can find from their websites or from the application: experience, maturity, interest in social justice, etc.

- My updated resume

In the letter to the LORs, I explained why I wanted them to write a letter and why I was interested in the programs, as specifically as possible (my elevator pitch for my interest in social work and in the programs).

 

And, yes, lots and lots of thanks and gratitude

[Lifesaver]

Hmm, perhaps I assumed too much.

 

My writers knew me VERY well. They knew my academic history, where I was currently working/had been working, had hard copies of my resume, had a list of the schools I was applying to (obviously) and a list that clearly stated each school's LOR due date. I think it's fair to assume that the people who are writing on your behalf know what you're doing and what you're about. Why else would you select them? And obviously, if they ask for more in-depth information and some guidance with the letter writing process, give it to them. Now that I think back, I did have a brief chat with one of my writers about what my end-goal was so he could tailor my letter a little more, but given that I worked for the man, he basically knew what was going on before our conversation. I also applied to all generalist programs (certificates were selected after the fact). Perhaps I'm an exception to the rule and have been lucky. The folks I selected are intelligent people, so I trusted their abilities to write a letter that they were already extremely familiar with. I was in a small graduate program, so perhaps it was a more intimate setting? Who knows. Is having faith in their abilites the worst advice ever? Doubtful. Especially considering it's worked out for me quite well a few times now.

 

Coming out of undergrad, or being out awhile, I suppose things could be different. Give them whatever info you think is pertinent, but just know you won't be given the prompt and therefore you can't totally coach them.

[RiemannForBeginners]

Lifesaver, I didn't mean to imply that you gave terrible advice, just that I agreed with socialworkphd on the information to share. It really does depend on the recommender and one's relationship with him/her. It helps them to have some basic info about things that each school is looking for, especially when most schools have a specific list of requirements (NYU has a full page in the application on the qualities of a social worker and those are helpful to keep in mind.) Sharing a resume and a list of schools with due dates, like you did, sounds very reasonable and appropriate. 

[monochrome]

I'm running into a problem as well, I graduated with my BA in 2010 and hardly remember any professors. Should I try to find them to get a LOR even though they likely won't remember me? Or should I contact my previous bosses (Lieutenant from working in corrections and prior to that would be a casino security supervisor)? Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

I graduated with my BA in 2011 and did not ask any of my past professors for letters of recommendation. I felt I was better off getting my letters from my current place of employment. Go with who you feel will write you a stronger letter. Also, if you contact the school(s) you're applying to, they may tell you you don't need a recommendation from an academic source if you've been out of school for over a year.