Just received a text from a student asking you to write them a recommendation letter? or, received an email from a university where you applied for admission to provide them with recommendation letters from your professors?
Whilst it seems pretty heart-touching that you are considered a dependable source by your students, it can also be quite fretting, especially if you don’t have any experience in writing one.
But worry no more! As we understand that it can be quite a daunting task to showcase a student’s skills and abilities on a single piece of paper, especially when that piece of paper is the basis of them getting admission or scholarship.
So, if you are looking for tips to write a recommendation letter for your students’ university applications, stay tuned to this article to get some pro tips on how to write a recommendation letter for scholarship applications.
Definition of Recommendation Letter for Scholarships:-
A scholarship recommendation letter is a formal document and a major part of scholarship applications.
The letter of recommendation is a notary document of a student’s academic performance, behavior, abilities, and quality assurance to the organization. It focuses on the abilities, skill sets, and potency of a student in a composed manner.
Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? Well, guess what, it isn’t! Mastering the art of preparing recommendation letters for students takes both time and consideration, along with some critical factors that need to be worked on.
What does a Recommendation Letter for Scholarships contains?
A recommendation letter for scholarships enables the scholarship reviewing panel to comprehend a student’s nature, their conduct both professionally and personally and the skill sets they possess.
In short, a recommendation letter contains all those pieces of information which assure the scholarship panel of the eligibility of a particular student for a particular scholarship program.
So, here is what a recommendation letter for scholarships usually contains:
- A student’s personality
- Their character
- Key traits
- Any particular achievements of the student
- Their test scores or CGPA.
Also, while drafting a recommendation letter, keep in mind that the main purpose of the document is to support the student in getting admission; so, you should involve all the above details in a positive way, one which encourages the reviewing authorities to give the student a chance rather than the opposite.
Format of a Recommendation Letter for Scholarships:-
Now, when it comes to recommendation letters, one thing to keep in mind is that there is no format like a letter. There is no hard and fast as to whether you have to enter the date at the top of the end of the document. The only thing that matters is the data that is presented in it, and how it is presented.
Here is an outline of what goes into a recommendation letter for scholarships so that you don’t leave anything out while drafting one for your students:
- Your introduction, including your relationship with the student under consideration and the time period of your acquaintance
- Your personal thoughts about the student’s personal qualities and general observations regarding his academic abilities and willingness to achieve the scholarship
- Supporting evidence to justify your thoughts and observations (a few examples might do)
- A summary of the above and a few liners on why you think the student might be a good fit for the scholarship
- A conclusion with a statement of your willingness to provide any further information, if and when required upon contact.
Sample Recommendation Letter for Scholarships:-
To,
To Whom It May Concern,
It is with a strong sense of pride and confidence that I am composing this letter for (name of student), a dear student of mine whom I feel is ready for the next academic level. She has been studying XYZ subject under my guidance since (enter time period). I believe her unusual way of perceiving things and his ability to combine procedures and ideas from different disciplines make her the ideal candidate for your scholarship program.
As she has studied a core subject under my supervision, I have had ample time to judge her behavior and academic conduct, which is the sole reason why I was overwhelmed when (name of student) asked me to write a recommendation letter to accompany her scholarship application for your scholarship program.
I took some time out to study your program, and might I say that the intelligence, skill sets, and passion that (name of student) possesses makes her stand out from all the other candidates out there. Over the years, she has proved herself to be an expert professional, and her genuine expertise in microbiology has excelled through her passion and hard work. I firmly believe that she will contribute to your program significantly, and it will turn out to be a promising step for her towards an advanced and prosperous career.
I have been greatly inspired by (name of student’s) huge interest in learning, contributing, and her urge for improving and bringing excellence to her work. She has been a front-line volunteer for all the lab work. (Name of student) is an intelligent, hardworking, and dedicated individual who makes sure to put in all her efforts to meet deadlines.
(Name of student) is kind, cooperative and of a humble nature with a golden heart at a personal level. She considers herself a community servant and makes sure to enrich the lives of everyone around her. Her unselfish attitude and enthusiastic nature, and positive personality are, perhaps, her most redeeming qualities which make everyone around her hold a common statement about her; which is that (name of student) is a pleasure to have around.
I am proud to know about her decision for applying to your esteemed organization for supporting her higher education. This is one decision, that I myself would suggest to [Candidate’s name] without even having a second thought as this is the only platform that can support her to do the best in all runs of life.
Hence, I recommend (name of student) without any reservations. I am sure that his/her creative thinking, excellent collaborative skills, and self-confidence would make her the ideal candidate for your scholarship program.
Please feel free to contact me in case you have anything else to ask regarding (name of student’s) proficiencies while studying under my supervision.
Sincerely,
[Candidate’s name].
Tips on Writing a Recommendation Letter for Scholarships:-
Since you have come this far, here is a bonus for all you dedicated teachers who are thriving to make their recommendation letters the best and most effective for their students.
Take a look at these pro tips below to ensure that your recommendation letter guarantees your students a spot in the finalized list of scholarship holders.
- Be positive:-
If you are requested to write a recommendation letter for a student who has been, how do we put it?… a headache, take a deep breath and recall all those rare times when the child has proved themselves worthy.
If there aren’t any, but you know of some positives of the student in general, elaborate that into your letter and keep all those negative thoughts out of your mind.
- Be truthful:-
Staying all positive does not mean using false statements. Every child has some qualities or other. Just point those out and highlight them in your recommendation letter, but don’t forget to link them to the degree program being applied to.
- Gather all the info you need:-
To make the most out of your recommendation letter, you need to put the most in it, in terms of the info of course.
Now, how can you gather all that info? There are two ways. Either, you arrange a meeting with the student and gather first-hand information, or, you send him instructions to answer your queries, somewhat like a questionnaire. Now the questionnaire can contain more or less the following questions:
- The student’s test grades, CGPA, and grades
- The name of the scholarship program and its website for reference
- Any specific guidelines that need to be followed while preparing the recommendation letter
- A few liners on why they consider themselves a good fit for the scholarship
- A few liners on their greatest academic achievements in or outside of school
- 2 to 3 extracurricular or co-curricular activities that they would like to be mentioned
- A brief summary of the details they wrote in their scholarship application essay so that any unnecessary repetition can be avoided
- A few liners on why they enjoy the degree program they have opted for.
- Revise and Recheck:-
We cannot stress hard enough on this, but always recheck your letter before handing it over because the last thing you want is a letter, written by a professor, to turn out full of errors and typos.
Final Wordings:-
This brings the end of this transcript.
If you found this article useful, let us know in the comments section below and recommend your students to take a look at our website because we upload valuable content regarding scholarship applications.
