Common Mistakes

Getting an LOR ready is not a simple task. In fact, it is one major milestone in your MS application that requires a lot of your time and planning. While the importance of an LOR is unquestionable there are a few common mistakes that applicants tend to commit while applying. Here is a list of the Most Common and Repeated LOR Blunders.

The easiest trap to fall into is that of copy-pasting a generic LOR from the internet. Not only does this seriously impact your chances of an offer letter, but also wastes a golden opportunity to showcase your talents and skills.

While it is tempting to get an LOR from that cool, funny professor who taught you in your third semester, chances are, it might not do you any good. Your referee must both know you well, and be properly qualified to write your reference.

AdmitEDGE Pro tip: choose professors who have a Ph.D. or a postdoctoral degree. An MPhil is no doubt good, but given how competitive graduate admissions can be, a PhD is a bare minimum.

Your LOR must not simply be a rehash of your SOP and CV. While there can be some overlaps, your LOR must bring in a fresh new perspective on you as a student and grad school aspirant by talking about qualities and skills not mentioned in your SOP. Writing an LOR that only repeats what is given in your Resume would certainly inhibit your chances of getting admitted in an MS program. The purpose of the LOR is to sketch your complete personality in the mind of the admission officer without you having to speak a word. So, repeating facts and figures given in your resume would make the admission officer feel that the official who has written the LOR is distant and does not share a healthy relationship with the applicant.

Recommendation letter example:

“To the Admission OfficeI am happy to recommend Mr Jai Shah. He has scored an average CGPA of 3.8 out of 4 and is a gold medalist in mathematics…..”

AdmitEDGE Pro tip: Your referee must make a clear note of your preparedness for graduate school and your suitability for any scholarship. Otherwise, there’s hardly any difference between your SOP and your LOR.

Your LOR must be typed (not handwritten) on the university letterhead and placed inside a sealed envelope. Otherwise, the authenticity of your LOR is questionable.

Ensure you supply your recommender with enough information about yourself. Send in your SOP, CV and any other certificates to help them draft a winning LOR. Make sure you give your referee at least a month’s time to write the letter. A rush job is a bad job, after all.

Keep a list of backup referees, so if one of your primary referees declines, you have other options. Supply all the information they may need in a neatly typed-out Word document.

Spelling mistakes are a big no-no. It may raise doubts about the credibility of the individual who is recommending you. Ensure you check your LORs multiple times for spelling and grammatical errors.

Today, one has to be extremely mindful about hurting sensibilities. One may inadvertently end up hurting others by using certain phrases or words.

Example:

An appropriate letter of recommendation should be around a page long – which mean around 500 to 600 words when written on an A4 page. Sometimes, Universities may specify the number of words which makes it easier. A study that assessed several letters of recommendations indicated that the more detail in the letter, the better for the applicant – which meant that as long as the details in the letter are relevant, a longer letter could be favourable for the prospective student.

However, a recommendation that is hardly half a page would seem as if it has been forcibly written. A golden rule to keep in mind is that a letter of recommendation should be crisp enough to be captivating for the reader yet long enough to cover the important parts.

Let us consider an example:

Undoubtedly the candidate – Rajiv Bhat has immense potential. Unfortunately, the letter written by his professor seems like a buffet which only served lip-smacking soup and delectable starters but kept the patrons hungry for more.

There we are! These are the most common LOR mistakes that aspirants tend to commit.
Keeping track of the progress of your LOR and matching it with mistakes now and again will help you ensure you jump the pitfalls that most applicants don’t pay heed to.

Go ahead and check out the experts’ guidelines to craft an admit winning LOR.