hghjsahfijhise Appendix G Sample Letters of Recommendation

A. For an excellent student whom you know well January 17, 2007 t is a true !leasure for me to write this letter of recommendation for "andra #arcia, who was my student in "ociology 11$, % ntroduction to "ociology,& in the winter term of 200'. "andra is, with(out )uestion, one of the four or fi*e most outstanding students ha*e taught at +ig "tate ,ni*ersity in six semesters of teaching. "andra is a careful and creati*e thinker with an eye for details and a de*otion to logic, which ser*es her well -oth in the sciences and outside them. "he has the terrific a-ility to draw on her own ex!eri(ence and o-ser*ations to de*elo! thoughtful o!inions on a *ariety of issues. "andra already knew she wanted to major in -iology when she took my course, -ut this did not diminish her intellectual curiosity a-out the to!ics we co*ered in introductory sociology. .er regular contri-utions to full(class discussions !ro*ided insight -oth for her !eers and for me as an instructor. "andra was also in*alua-le in small(grou! interaction with her !eers. /ithout my asking, she took on the res!onsi-ility of hel!ing her classmates consolidate *ast amounts of information into coher(ent sets of ideas, and she )uickly -ecame a study grou! leader. n addition, "andra was *ery generous with her time and energies. remem-er her meeting indi*idually with a student from 0hailand se*eral times -efore the final exam to hel! him master all the material in a foreign tongue. "andra -reaks the %scientist& stereoty!e with her writing1 she was the -est writer in the two sections taught that semester. And what was !erha!s e*en more im!ressi*e was that she took the task of im!ro*ing her writing as or more seriously than any other student in the class. 2ne of her essays was later !u-lished in the annual maga3ine of the -est undergraduate essays written in sociology. "andra is not only an excellent student, -ut she is also !ersonally delightful. "he is as comforta-le with herself as she is engaging, !leasant, and humorous. As got to know "andra o*er the semester, -ecame only more im!ressed -y the wide range of her a-ilities4and -y her modesty a-out them. "he is an accom!lished musi(cian and scientist, -oth of which she does with a !assion rare in undergraduates. wholeheartedly recommend "andra as a !ros!ecti*e medical school student. n fact, can think of few students whom would recommend as highly. "he will add a great deal to any incoming medical school class. can also en*ision "andra as a highly com!e(tent and caring doctor someday, which say as a high com!liment indeed. 5lease contact me if there is anything else can do on her -ehalf. "incerely, 5eter "e*ers, 6.A.

#raduate "tudent nstructor +. For a good student whom you do not know well $ January 2007 am !leased to recommend 7atasha 8incaid for admission to the 0eacher 9ducation 5rogram. 7atasha was my student in +iology 210 :;ell +iology<, and she !ro*ed to -e a model student. "he is extremely conscientious a-out her work and a-out attending class and la-. +ecause of her hard work, she consistently scored in the to! ten !ercent on all the exams and !ro-lem sets. .er work demonstrates an attention to detail and an a-ility to integrate material to create larger frameworks for discussion. 7atasha made intelligent and insightful contri-utions during full(class discussion, -ut it was in la- that her enthusiasm and teaching a-ilities shone. After the first week, she -ecame the leader of her la- grou!, and would often see her !atiently ex!laining a !rocedure or a conce!t to her la- mates :and often those in the neigh-oring la- grou! as well=<. "he took the initiati*e to organi3e and lead class re*iews -efore the exams, and other students told me afterwards how hel!ful these sessions were. -elie*e that 7atasha>s strong academic a-ilities and her clear dedi(cation to teaching make her a *ery strong candidate for the 0eacher 9ducation 5rogram. f there are any )uestions can answer, !lease feel free to contact me. 6rinal 6ukherjee

#raduate "tudent nstructor ;. For an a*erage student ?0 June 2007

am !leased to write a letter of recommendation for #eorge #um! as !art of his a!!lication to dentistry school. As #eorge>s instructor for 6ath 2?$ :"et 0heory<, found him to -e a conscientious and hardworking student. 0he course was not re)uired for #eorge>s major@ he took it out of intellectual interest, and he a!!roached the material with the same curiosity and determination that he a!!lies in -iology and medicine. #eorge>s work on the !ro-lem sets and exams demonstrated careful attention to detail. .e was also a-le and willing to articulate his )uestions a-out the more a-stract notions of set theory, a genuine asset for many of his classmates and the class dynamic as a whole. #eorge is an extremely !ersona-le young man who seems e)ually comforta-le with his !eers and with faculty. .e has talked with me a-out his goal of -ecoming a dentist, and ha*e enjoyed seeing such enthusiasm in an undergraduate a-out a !rofessional career. #eorge>s commitment to the field and his hard work in !ursuing his goals will ser*e him well in dentistry school. 5lease contact me if can answer any further )uestions. "incerely,

8elly Atkins, 5h.A. Becturer