Resources
Graduate School Preparation
Graduate School Applications Tracking Workbook
Scholarships Tracking
Scholarship Applications Tracking Template
Email Templates to Faculty
Research Interest
Dear [Professor’s Name],
I hope this message finds you well. My name is Ana Guerrero, a third year Sociology major at UC Berkeley. I was a student in your [Course Number/Title] course during [Semester/year]. I greatly appreciated your class because [authentic reason]. I plan to apply to graduate school in [semester/month and year] and would like to obtain research experience.
I took your [Course Number/Title], and was intrigued by ___. I also found the findings in your article [Title of Article] interesting. I am interesting in learning more about your research examining how ___.
Do you have any research positions available? If so, I would like to discuss potential involvement next [Semester/year]. My CV/Resume is attached to give you more information about my previous experiences. My transcript is also attached, as you will see, I have taken courses in ___ and ___, which your website lists as a requirement for research assistants. I’m happy to meet you in person or over Zoom if you’d like to talk more in detail. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Ana Guerrero
Scholarship Letter of Recommendation
Dear [Professor’s Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I was a student in your [Course Number/Title] course during [Semester/year] and attended office hours regularly. I greatly appreciated your class because [authentic reason]. I will be applying for the [Name of Scholarship] in order to help achieve my ___ goals. The scholarship aims to___. I am kindly requesting a letter of recommendation from you because [authentic reason]. With the scholarship I hope to ___.
Are you willing and able to write a letter of recommendation for me? If so, you would upload the letter here___ no later than [deadline].
Please find my updated transcript, CV/resume, and scholarship essay attached. For more information, the link to the scholarship is below:
I’m happy to meet you in person or over Zoom if you’d like to talk more in detail. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Ana Guerrero
Graduate School Letter of Recommendation
Dear [Professor’s Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I was fortunate to take the following courses with you: [Course Numbers/Titles]. [Or/and] I was your research assistant from ___to ___. [Or/and] you mentored me for ___. I am planning to apply to [graduate program] this [Semester/year], and am wondering if you would write a letter of recommendation for me. [Explain how professor influenced you in this area of study].
After researching graduate programs in [area of study], I chose [graduate program] because [Provide short summary of graduate program]. As I previously shared with you, my goals in graduate school are ___, and my professional goals are___.
Here is the link to the program [link], and my transcript, updated CV/Resume, and statement of purpose are attached.
If you are willing to write a letter of recommendation for me, you would send the attached form to this [link/email] no later than [date].
I’m happy to schedule a Zoom meeting to discuss this more in detail. My availability is ___.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Ana Guerrero
Advice
- Reach out 3-4 weeks before the deadline.
- Make it easy for them--provide as much information as possible.
- Choose your recommender wisely, choose people who are acquainted with your skills, accomplishments and strengths.
- Ask in person, if possible.
- Don’t be afraid to follow-up after a week.
- Show gratitude.