Letter of Recommendation (LOR) - MS in Australia
Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is a declaration of how you are as an individual to be associated with. It is a recognition of your academic presence as evaluated by your professors. It can also be an assessment of your professional capability when written by your higher-ups in your company. LORs are highly valued in Australia, so ensure you have a good Letter of Recommendation.
Typical time required: 1 – 2 weeks
Highlights
- The Letter of Recommendation should characterize you as an individual along with brief descriptions of your positive personality traits.
- For some universities, you need to submit your recommender’s contact details in the application form or your CV. Your recommender may get an email with a form or link to a questionnaire which has some direct questions that they will need to answer.
- In most cases when your recommender does not know you well enough or if they are too busy to write an LOR for you, the recommender might ask you to write a Letter of Recommendation, which they will review and edit later.
Before You Start
- Check for any specific requirements declared by your university - your Letter of Recommendation (LOR) may be required to be in a particular format. The university you are applying to might have already uploaded a document that simply needs to be filled in by the recommenders.
- Do not exceed the word limit stipulated by the university, e.g. 750 words, 1 page, 2000 characters etc.
- See how many LORs have been asked for. Also, check if they have stated who your recommenders should be. Some universities place emphasis on academic recommendations while some give priority to professional recommendations.
- If you have no prior internship experience, you can ask for a LOR from your professor, head of Department, or the director of the university you studied at. The credibility of their words will hold more value than a letter from your high school.
Required Documents (for your recommender)
- Your CV (if necessary)
- Your Grade Report (if needed)
- A draft Letter of Recommendation (if required)
Step by step Guide
- Think of the individuals who can give you a decent recommendation. That means (i) You have attended their classes and lectures or have teamed with them earlier. (ii) it is preferable that they know you personally. (iii) they are in a respectable position.
- Humbly ask them for a positive Letter of Recommendation for you.
- When asking for someone from the university, you can also send your transcripts, reminding them of your performance in their classes.
- When asking a manager from the organization where you have done your job or internship, ask someone who can give details on your role and contribution to the firm.
- If you are writing a Letter of Recommendation draft, keep it in a mild, friendly tone. It should not sound like an advertisement of you.
- There should be details on the duration of your association with the recommender and how the recommender knows you.
- If you are required to prepare multiple LORs for different recommenders, keep in mind that they have to be entirely different in content, with minimal overlap.
- You can focus on your positives in the LOR but do not write false accounts and make up stories. This is both unethical and disrespectful to both the recommender and the university that you are applying to.
- Once your recommender gives you the final document, ensure it is signed, stamped and sealed.
- The recommender should mention their full name, contact details, email id and designation at the organization or university at the end of the LOR. This way, the universities you apply to, can directly get in touch with the recommenders.
- Make sure you inform your recommenders about the institutions you will be applying to.
Useful Tips
- Keep in mind the type of institution and the course content you will be applying to study for before sending the LORs.
- LORs from your universities, internships or places of work of recent years have a higher value than old LORs.
- Your Letter of Recommendation has to be written on the company’s or university’s official letterhead only and should be stamped by the department or office and signed by your recommender.
