Top 8 Skills in Recommendation Letter for Graduate School
By HSB
Recommendation letter is one of the mandatory requirements while applying for Graduate School. Majority of the Universities require 3 recommendation letters and some schools require 2+. Some schools letter of recommendation as reference letters. I have seen schools that require students to submit the references through online form. Do. it really depends on the college you are applying for admission.
Why Recommendation Letters?
Universities use reference letters to determine their professional characters, behaviors and other skills, which will be expressed by the in the letter by their managers or professors. Some schools will provide reference letter template and will ask the students to get it filled. But, most of the schools accept the recommendation letter signed in sealed envelop.
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Graduate school or department admission committee will look for specific skills and traits that can convince them to give admission. Its not a bad idea to given them an outline of skills to be included. I have written about dos don’t and while writing recommendation letter.
What Skills to Highlight
There are so many skills that a person can highlight in the recommendation letter while providing reference. But, its difficult to include many traits in 1 to 2 page document. Much care has to be put in to select the skills that have to be included in the LOR. You can refer to sample recommendation letters, but all those skills will not apply exactly to you.
8 Skills in Recommendation Letter
- Social Skills
- Motivational Skills
- Communication Skills (Reading, Writing and Listening)
- Analytical Research and Quantitative Skill
- Leadership Skills
- Ability to overcome tough situations
- Willingness to go extra mile
- Volunteer Activities
Recommendation letter will not get admission, GRE Scores, Statatement of purpose (sample sops), Resume and other skills play equal role in getting admission.
Related posts:
- (Updated)Letter of Recommendation that gets Graduate School Admission
- 10 Criteria For Writing Effective Recommendation Letter
- Poor Letter of Recommendation – Example
- Letter of Recommendation Examples and Samples
- Letter of Recommendation : Do and Dont’s
This is what University of Minnesota has to say: “Please write a candid narrative evaluation of this applicant’s qualifications that include the following points: unique positive factors, potentially negative factors, comparative strength or record, relevant research or other scholarly experience, rigor and reputation of the undergrad college and major, rank in class, professional promise, ability to express views orally and in writing, ability to conceptualize and integrate knowledge, and any other factors or considerations that you think should be brought to the attention of the admissions committee. “