LOR or the Letter of Recommendation is an official document with a proof of your candidature asked by the universities or colleges for admission. The requirement to submit at least 2 or 3 recommendation letters is primary for admission in any topmost college or university abroad. The name itself suggests that this letter is basically aiming to recommend you, i.e. to give a specific picture about you.
LOR happens to be the most important and significant part of your admission procedure. So it will be a smart and wise decision for you to prepare for the LOR well advance in time. Remember while doing that, the first key point that you need to keep in mind is that you need to choose the right recommender who will help you get through the admission procedure. The recommender must know your credentials, achievements, experiences, traits and attributes in details.
LOR can be of two types depending upon the requirement and the nature of recommender.
- Academic LOR This is applicable for the Bachelor or the Masters courses abroad. Every institution demands at least two or three LOR issued by the previous institutes. In case you are applying for Bachelors course, it need to be issued by your high school teacher. For applying in Masters Courses, the professors in your grad school are eligible to issue it.
- Professional LOR This is specifically applicable for MBA colleges where there is a criteria for work experience needs. And thus the need to submit a LOR from an immediate supervisor is essential.
The formats of LOR vary for different academic institutions. It is basically an essay of 400-500 words distributed in paragraphs. The first paragraph must include all the basic details of you. In the second one, include the details of your training, project, internship etc. and ask your recommenders to highlight the chief points that impressed them. In the next one focus to address some real life examples of the attributes you possess that might help you for the admission. And in the last paragraph you must provide the essential details of the recommender.
Apart from choosing the most right recommender for you, you must exercise how to write this. You must go through few samples available or can ask help from the helpdesk of the institution you are applying in.
- LOR should be specific. A generic LOR is a big no.
- It must give a clear picture regarding your personality.
- It must focus on your strengths and name a few weaknesses but that should be completely written in a smart way so that it does not create a negative impact.
- Remember the points must not be repetitive and it must not depict the same picture as that already given in your resume
- It must focus on the achievements and other credentials in a very short and qualitative way.
- LOR must be written in the official letterhead of the institution the recommender presently working in.
- Please remember that every other student applying for the programs in the institutions are submitting LORs. The admission office go through a lot of them on a daily basis and here comes the point to stand out in the crowd. And to achieve this uniqueness your LOR must include some attributes with real life examples.
Read Also:
Letter of Recommendation for Masters Students
Letter Of Recommendation For Medical Students
Categories: LOR