When students apply to study abroad there are some documents that are necessary and are required along with the application and one of those documents is the Letter of Recommendation. The Letter of Recommendation helps the admission committee in getting an insight into the candidate which further helps them to decide whether the candidate is fit for a place in their university for that particular course. The main focus of the letter of recommendation is to get a clear picture of your past experiences, skills, achievements, community services, etc. There are different types of LOR like Academic LOR and Professional LOR.
Academic LOR
An Academic LOR is a recommendation from the faculty of the academic institution you were in. This recommendation letter can be from Teachers, School Counsellors, Principals if applying for an undergraduate course, and from Professors, Dean, Counsellor, for applying for a Master’s degree.
Professional LOR
These days most of the universities around the world require the candidate to have some past work experience when applying for Post Graduation courses. Universities ask the candidate to attach a Letter of Recommendation along with their Resume from a Superior, Team Leader, Manager, etc. The content in the professional LOR varies from the Academic LOR and contains information about the skills, abilities, knowledge, etc, of the candidate.
Tips for Writing a LOR for PG Diploma
Letter of recommendation are very important and play a very important role in deciding if the candidate is selected. Here are some tips to keep in mind while writing a Letter of Recommendation.
1. Introduction about the recommender and how they know the applicant.
2. Academic and Professional achievements of the candidate relevant to the course.
3. Applicant’s experience and example of the way he/she handled pressure in a difficult situation.
4. Details of any volunteer work done by the candidate.
5. A good LOR should demonstrate other points of view and facets of your personality that aren’t mentioned in your CV or SOP as SOP is a very different document than LOR. As a result, the LOR comes from someone who knows you better, has seen the quality of your work, and is pleased with your efforts and achievements.
6. The LOR should be on the official letterhead of the institution or the company.
7. One must make sure that the recommender is still employed by the same company when issuing a professional LOR.
LOR Format
The Letter of Recommendation should start with
To Whomsoever It May Concern
First Paragraph
The first paragraph should be the introductory paragraph about the recommender’s credentials such as name, title, company name, their relationship with the candidate and how long they have known each other, etc.
Second Paragraph
This paragraph should tell about the candidate’s skills and abilities and addresses one of the student’s most important characteristics, such as research aptitude, academic proficiency, leadership, teamwork, organizational abilities, the capacity to think outside the box, initiative, work ethic, and maturity.
Third Paragraph
This paragraph tells the admission committee about the other qualities that the candidate possesses. These qualities should be different from the qualities mentioned in the second paragraph. It helps the admission committee get a gist about the candidate which makes the decision-making process a lot easier.
Fourth Paragraph
In this paragraph, the recommender should talk about the extracurricular activities of the candidate and their achievements in it. It helps in highlighting important qualities like teamwork, passion, enthusiasm, etc.
Fifth Paragraph
This is the conclusion part of the letter and should highlight the essential details written in the letter.
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Salutations
LOR guidelines for some of the top universities.
| University | PG Diploma Course | Requirements |
| Boston University, USA | Applied Business Analytics | 2-3 LORs to be submitted online |
| UC Berkeley Global, USA | Corporate Finance & Financial Analytics | Optional submission of 2 LORs |
| University of Arizona, USA | Systems Engineering | 3 academic or professional LORs |
| University of Winnipeg, Canada | Artificial Intelligence | 2 academic LORs to be submitted online or via mail |
| Thompson Rivers University, Canada | Business Administration | 1 optional academic or professional LOR |
| Royal Roads University, Canada | Education Leadership & Management | 1 personal reference; 1 work-related reference |
| Lancaster University, UK | Data Science | 2 references are required out of which at least one should be an academic reference letter |
| University of Surrey, UK | Physician Associate Studies | 2 academic or professional LORs required |
| Oxford Brookes University, UK | Literature | 1-2 academic recommendation letters |
LOR Samples
To Whom It May Concern
It is my pleasure to strongly recommend [Applicant Name] for [Company Position or Institution Acceptance].
I’m [Your Name], and I work at [Your Institution or Company] as a [Your Position]. I’ve worked in [Your Industry or Academic Focus] for [Number] years and have watched numerous young professionals arrive and go. [Applicant Name] is one of the people I’ve worked with who stands out.
[Applicant Name] demonstrated exceptional abilities in [Skill, Trait, Experience, Class, etc.] during our time together. I was very impressed by [Applicant’s Name] when we first met. Her understanding of [Key Topic] grew significantly more than that of her colleagues over the period they worked together.
[Insert a personal story that elucidates key skills, traits, or experiences].
But it’s not simply her technical abilities that impress me. Because of her incredibly optimistic attitude and [Positive Trait], [Applicant Name] was a joy to work with. Her [Positive Trait] and [Positive Trait] were also important and cherished not just by myself, but also by her peers, who relied on her to complete tasks.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at [Contact Information] if you require further information or particular examples. I’d be pleased to go into greater detail about my professional experience.
Sincerely
[Name and title]
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