A highly impactful reference letter is a really big deal. Not only in how it may (or may not) open up opportunities (funding, educational, professional) but in the effort required to craft said letter. In my experience, a positive reference letter that is very generic offers very little for those reviewing it, and thus likely does little to aid anyone. The best reference letters, and the ones that are most impactful are those that really have some detailed, specific "stories" about the person in question (who the letter is about). Thus I consider writing a reference letter a very important (and sometimes agonizing) experience. I also consider that my "reputation" (with respect to how others view my judgement about candidates) on the line, which requires me to be very honest and straight forward. Not everyone is my best student ever, and I am honest and share when I had concerns about particular students. As such here are a few pointers when requesting a reference letter:
-
Consider seriously whether I am the best person to write a reference letter for you. Do I know you and your work really well? Have I had an opportunity to watch you develop academically, and evaluate (formally or informally)? If all I know of you is from your work in a large class where there was little opportunity for independent work (presentations, independent research papers etc), then I may have very little to evaluate you on. As I mentioned above, writing a letter saying "this student got an A in my class" is not going to help anybody, in particular you. Even if you did a class presentation or an independent paper for a class, I may still have only a little bit to go on. In general (and unsurprisingly) I usually can evaluate individuals the best when I have had a chance to get to know them when they have done independent research in the lab and have been able to watch their work and interact with them regarding scholarship, technical abilities, problem solving etc. Rarely do I say no (but see below) to students who have worked in the lab for at least a semester (or summer).
-
When you first contact me for a reference letter, give me plenty of lead-time. Assume I am in the midst of other work (a reasonable assumption), and there are other reference letters ahead in the queue (likely to be true). Realistically 4-6 weeks lead time (in particular for the first time I am writing a letter). If I have written a letter for you on something similar before (i.e. if I have written a letter for your application to a professional school and you are applying to a similar school) less lead time is needed (2+ weeks). If it is for something very different (i.e. I wrote a letter for you for a professional school, but now you are applying to graduate school) that is a different letter and I need the full lead time.
-
There are some conditions that will make me say no. In addition to the points I raised above, there are several conditions that may result in me saying no. For instance, if my evaluation is likely to be negative (on balance), I will let you know and suggest you find an alternative. This is sometimes hard, and while in most situations students will already be aware of concerns I have had about their performance (or other issues), in some cases this comes as a surprise to them.
-
You need to "earn" a truly positive letter. There are some people for whom I do not have not enough space to explain how awesome they are. However, many students come and work in the lab and do a good job (or sometimes just adequate, and sometimes downright problematic). If I am going to say something positive and be able to make a very strong individual case, there needs to be something there. For instance did you really show a great deal of independence and organization? Scholarship? Curiousity? Ability to solve problems or troubleshoot issues? etc... This in general just relates to an excellent work ethic (i.e. using the time at the lab effectively and efficiently), and showing intellectual curiousity (you are after all at a University)? Even if your ultimate goal is not to do evolutionary genetics/genomics research did you demonstate that you made an excellent effort to engage with the scientific literature related to your project?
-
As a specific note to those seeking letters for professional schools. Many people who have done research in my lab have gone on to become medical doctors, vets, physiotherapists, etc. That is wonderful, and it makes me happy to know most of those people are in their desired professions now. There is no need to be shy or pretend that you want to be an evolutionary geneticist even if your goal is to be a clinician. However, what all of these individuals have in common is that despite their very clear career goals, during the time working in the lab they were deeply invested with the research and making sure they did it correctly, and they understood the context of what they were doing. The students who did not do well are the ones who thought enrolling and minimally participating was enough, but did not treat their research experience as a rigourous one. It is will be evident to me (as it would be to anyone). We are asked in our references to compare you with others at a similar level, so consider how best to make yourself "stand out" in a positive way.
It is also worth noting that for clinically oriented professions (medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, etc), I always spend some time considering what it would be like to be under your care. To the best of my professional judgement, would I be willing or happy about you being my health care professional? That you would be paying attention to the details of my symptoms, treatment etc..?