"I am glad that this is a required course for psychology majors. I think that it helps us with our professionalism and preparedness."
For this assignment you will provide the names, titles/positions of 3 people you think will be your references for graduate school (which will go on your vita). References can be advisors, professors who know you well, professors you have TAd or RAd for, supervisors in academically oriented work settings. Normally, you do not put references on a vita without express permission from the person. However, given that this is an assignment, you made do so. Keep in mind, that a goal for you is that by the end of this course that you have confirmed one reference for your vita (you have for real asked them and they have for real said yes).
How do you confirm references? In other words, how do you ask people to be a reference? For an academic reference (for your vita, and for applying to graduate school), the requesting process is a little more involved. To ask a professor to be a reference, you can imagine that they should have an idea of who you are :) So the first step really is to start to cultivate relationships with professors (which is precisely why I have you meet with professors and professionals as requirements for this course; to start to establish those relationships). Your 'weakest' of your 3 references for graduate school might be a professor who likes you, and you received an A in their course. Your other two references though should be more indepth relationships, like someone you did research with, was a teaching assistant for, etc.
Once you know who you are going to ask, you should request an in-person meeting with them. In that meeting you can discuss your interest in graduate school, the types of programs you are going to apply for, and your ultimate goals. Then you can ask them. If they say yes, you can follow up that meeting with the materials they will need to write your letters which might be specialized forms from each school, and at the least, addresses, and deadlines.
I also recommend that you provide them with an "information sheet" that summarizes you. Some faculty have their own questionnaires or other specific information that they want you to provide. But this will be a good start. Provide: 1) your name 2) year in school 3) the types of programs that you are applying for 4) your psych gpa 5) your cumulative gpa 6) your SAT or ACT core 7) your gre score if you know it 8) the courses you have taken with that reference and the grades you got in those courses 9) information on any special projects or papers that you did in any of their classes that could job their memory or otherwise help them provide detail in their letter 10) how long you have known that reference and in what capacity (student, TA, RA, advisor, etc) 11) any specific information you want the reference to highlight or address. This is important, because no matter how well a professor knows you, they may not have all this information at the ready, and may not readily remember all of this important stuff...so help a sista/brutha out and refresh their memory :)
Keep in mind also, that letter writers are often asked specifically about the following traits:
Persistence: individuals are good at overcoming challenges, finishing what they start, turning plans into actions.
Achievement Orientation: individuals who are low on achievement orientation are not highly motivated to succeed and do just enough to get by. Conversely, individuals who are achievement oriented, work hard, do more than what is expected of them, set high standards for themselves and others, set hard but achievable goals.
Time Management: good time managers are good at meeting deadlines, accomplish their work on time, get tasks done right away, do things according to plan, like to plan ahead, follow a schedule. Individuals who are poor at time management do not plan ahead, find it difficult to get down to work, need a push to get started, waste time, postpone decisions, have difficulty starting tasks, are often late to work, put off unpleasant tasks.
Resilience: resilient individuals are good at overcoming challenges, can stand criticism, welcome feedback, handle stress well, readily overcome setbacks. Conversely, stress-prone individuals are easily discouraged, get stressed out easily.
Honesty/Integrity: Individuals who are low on integrity misrepresent the facts, break promises. Honest individuals try to follow the rules, adhere to high ethical standards, are trustworthy.
Diligence: diligent individuals are always prepared, pay attention to details, demand quality, are careful to avoid making mistakes, are exacting in their work. Individuals who are not diligent neglect their duties, do things in a half-way manner, frequently forget to do things, do the opposite of what is asked.
Knowledge of Intended Specialty of Study: There are always differences between applicants regarding their current knowledge of what the specific graduate program to which they are applying to actually entails.
Degree of Interest in Specialty of Study: Applicants also vary on the degree to which they currently have well defined interests in the specific graduate program to which they are applying.
All of the above factors will be rated by the recommender on the following scale, choosing one category for you:
top 1-2% of all students I have known
top 5% of all students I have known
top 10% of all students I have known
top 25% of all students I have known
top 50% of all students I have known
bottom 50% of all students I have known
no opportunity to observe and/or no basis for evaluation
The last question is often the following:
What is your overall evaluation of the candidate's probability of success in graduate school?
Will definitely complete the PhD and is likely to be a star in his or her field
Will definitely complete the PhD
Masters easily, at least 50-50 chance of completing the PhD
Good probability of Masters, may end there
Not graduate school material
As you can see, this is why it is so important for you to really get to know faculty members. These evaluations are specific and require extensive knowledge of you as a student. The factors being evaluated should also give you an idea of what programs are looking for. Note that it is more about your ability to learn, than your specific knowledge in the field (which only had 1 question).
For this assignment, provide me with your 3 references and an information sheet for ONE of those references. IF you have one confirmed (someone you have asked and they have said yes, indicate that in the assignment). The assignment is NOT to run around asking people to be your references. It is to think about who COULD be your references, and why, and to start the process of securing those references.
Bring this to class.
Explore!
Recommendation Letters for Grad School
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