Tips for writing a scholarship reference

What to include

• Address the criteria of the award and how the student fulfills them.
• Emphasize the student’s strengths.
• Provide specific anecdotes of things the student has done that are impressive. Point out key features of the application that may be missed by a reader (presentation prize, departmental award). Draw comparisons to their peers or, for the very best, their counterparts over the years.
• Use your comments to complement the rest of the application. For example, if the student has a straight A+ transcript and gave a great presentation in your class, use your space to comment on their communication skills, not the fact they have good grades. It’s not catastrophic to point out weaknesses but you can also point out if there has been improvement.
• Address the potential of the student and the importance of the proposed research
• Be concise and clear. Provide context.
• Follow the guidelines for length and format.
• Never assume someone is a shoo-in for an award
• Specifics easily trump superlatives.

What to avoid

• Generic letters that are not personalized for the student
• Writing similar letters for multiple students
• Summarizing the materials in the application instead of providing additional information
• Using jargon. Readers may not be in the same field
• Emphasizing the supervisor’s skills instead of the student’s skills
• Relying too much on the material provided by the student
• Superlatives with no examples
• Commenting on the student’s past experience rather than potential
• Superlatives without support are meaningless.

Example 1

• [Weak] The applicant writes and speaks very well.
• [Average] The applicant’s writing skills shown in her undergraduate thesis compare with mid-program Ph.D. students. Her speaking skills are highly polished as evidenced by her award for her talk at an undergraduate conference.
• [Strong] The applicant’s writing skills are exceptional. She can provide drafts of manuscripts that are nearly publication ready with the most recent citations. They are concise with regards to content and still stylistically fluid. Her speaking skills parallel this. She gave a 20 minute talk at a national meeting where the audience included several international leaders in the field. Two of these scientists commented afterwards that her talk was superb.

Example 2

• [Weak] The applicant made very good progress on a research project while working with a senior graduate student.
• [Average] The applicant developed a firm grasp of the project from the outset and advanced the work with minimal supervision. Problems were encountered and he would seek advice appropriately. He always came with a proposed solution rather than simply wanting answers. He is a natural researcher.
• [Strong] The applicant was given a challenging project. He quickly came up to speed on the relevant literature and, before the end of the summer, had mastered the different analysis techniques core to the research. He showed tremendous enthusiasm, often working extra hours so that the project could be completed before his summer was up. We will be submitting a paper to a top journal shortly with him as the first author. In my 20 years as a professor, he ranks as the top undergraduate student I have had in my group.