Letters of Recommendation Question

[dneuman]

For some reason, whenever I'm asked to have references, I struggle to find them.

In this case, what specifically will be expected of the letter of recomendation. I've read articles and blogs, so I think I have an idea, but how much "detail" should the "recomender" be going into?

For example, the first reference that I've already asked is from the Dean of Touro College, which I guess is a good recomender as far as "status" is concerned. With that said, he has always been amiable and I've actually taken one or two classes with him, but I wouldn't call us "close." In my initial email I offered to send him some bulletpoints of what the letter will require, and he responded that he "already has an idea of what's required..." Would a standard "He is a great student, etc," letter be O.K? I am scheduled to talk with him on the phone in a couple days, what should I say?

This next issue refers back to my first sentence. Besides for a couple other professors, all of whom were amiable, I don't know who else would be a good source. A couple possibilities arise- 1. I could track down a professor and ask for a letter, though I don't know how detailed it would be... 2. There is a mentor who graduated from Cambridge Law, but hasn't actually practiced law. He and I are quite close, would he be a good reference? (he was in a professor-type position). 3. The third option, though I doubt you'll say its okay, is my Grandfather, who is a retired chief circuit judge of Miami-Dade... He and I are close (and his last name is Simons, if it's possible to get away with not overtly mentioning my relationship )

Anyhow, any other suggestions about the process would be very helpful. The forums have been extremely helpful so far, as well as the Powerscore course.
Looking forward to hearing back!

[Dave Killoran]

Hey Daniel,

Thanks for the question! First, I'm going to start by sending you to view a PowerScore video on YouTube that covers a discussion I had about the LORs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3IC9ZV ... 45A2BBF711 (if needed, a transcript of that talk is here: http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/153 ... mmendation). In that video, I discuss what you want to say to people when asking for a recommendation, which will help you with your upcoming talk.

Second, let's talk about detail. As I say in the link above, detail is critical. The fastest way to get yourself in trouble is to have a recommender who doesn't know you and is then very general in what they say. Make sure they talk in a specific fashion about you: detail is king.

Last, as for the people you ask, go with people who know you well. Title doesn't matter if they don't know who you are and can't speak specifically about you. For example, let's say you had the choice of the head of a department at your university versus a TA in one of your courses. At a glance, and assuming both would be positive and produce a well-written LOR, it would seem like the head of the department is the obvious choice, right? Not so fast, actually. If the department head doesn't know you and will just be very general ("X is a fine student and will make an excellent candidate at your school...etc"), then there's no way he or she would be as good as your TA, who could definitely speak in detail about your academic abilities, quality of writing and thinking, interaction with fellow students, etc. Bottom line: It's not about the title, it's about the content. So, whatever choice you make, pick the person who will present you in the most detailed and flattering light. Out of the options you listed, that would be #2 or #3 (the fact that #2 hasn't practiced law is fortunately irrelevant; they are looking for a discussion of your character and your personality, and a legal background isn't required to do that). But, family members are often discouraged as recommenders simply because the bias is so high. So, I would take that same position: unless it's unavoidable, I'd skip choosing the grandfather and go with #2, especially because you you say that "he and I are quite close." That's the key phrase right there (and that he's not related to you ).

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

[dneuman]

Thanks for the reply Dave. Extremely helpful.