LOR Building Exercise

Are you looking to enhance your chances of getting into your desired program or job? A letter of recommendation can be a crucial factor in showcasing your skills and accomplishments. However, simply asking someone to write a letter on your behalf may not be enough. To ensure that you receive a strong letter of recommendation, it's important to guide your recommenders by providing them with the right information. In this blog post, we will walk you through the LOR building exercise - a step-by-step instruction manual that outlines the information you should provide to your recommender to help them write a compelling and effective letter of recommendation. By following these steps, you can build a strong letter of recommendation that highlights your skills and experience, and makes a compelling case for your admission to your desired program.

Here is an instruction manual for building a strong letter of recommendation with the following information for each recommender:

‍

Projects done under the recommender

List the specific projects you worked on under the recommender. This information will be useful in highlighting your skills and accomplishments in the letter.

Example: I worked under Prof. Müller on a research project Sentiment Analysis of Twitter Data in natural language processing (NLP) during my final year of undergraduate studies.

‍Challenges faced and overcome (top 2)

Identify the top 2 challenges you faced in the projects and how you overcame them. This information will demonstrate your problem-solving skills and ability to persevere through difficult situations

Example: One of the major challenges we faced was the lack of annotated data for our NLP project. We overcame this by using a semi-supervised learning approach and achieved competitive results.

Personal attributes and instances where they were demonstrated during those projects 

Think about the personal attributes you demonstrated that contributed to your success in the projects. Make note of specific instances where you demonstrated these attributes.

Example: I demonstrated a high level of attention to detail by carefully reviewing and analyzing the data sets we used in the project. I also showed initiative by proposing new ideas for improving the project and working independently to implement them.

Keywords and keyphrases tailoring to the program you are applying

Use keywords and phrases that are specific to the program you are applying to. This will help to demonstrate your familiarity with the program's subject matter and requirements.

Example: For the machine learning program at TU Munich, use phrases such as deep learning, computer vision, and reinforcement learning.

Grade comparison to your peers

Top 1%, 5%, 10%, One of the best, ‘pleasure to work with’: Provide context for the reader by indicating where you rank in comparison to your peers.

‍Example: Prof. Müller has expressed that I am one of the top students he has worked with in his career and that I consistently produce high-quality work.

Accomplishments of the projects, lead to a paper, award, impact

What was the outcome of the project for the recommender: Use specific examples of past accomplishments to illustrate your skills and experience. Mention any papers, awards, or other outcomes that resulted from your projects‍

Example: Our NLP project resulted in a paper published in a top-tier conference, and our results were among the top-performing systems in the shared task.

‍Contact information of the recommender 

Make sure to include the recommender's contact information in the letter so that the reader can follow up with any questions or concerns.

‍Example: Prof. Müller can be reached at john.muller@tum.de or +49 89 289-18108.

‍Personal endorsement and conclusion

How all the above-mentioned skills allow the professor to endorse you for success in the program you are applying: End the letter with a strong conclusion that summarizes your qualifications and expresses your enthusiasm for the program. Explain how your skills and experience make you a strong candidate for success in the program.

‍Example: Based on my experience working with Jane on our NLP project, I can wholeheartedly endorse her for the machine learning program at TU Munich. Her dedication, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills make her an ideal candidate for success in the program.

By following these steps, you can build a strong letter of recommendation that highlights your skills and experience and makes a compelling case for your admission to your desired program.

See also:

• Study in Germany student community
• APS certificate explained
• How to creating a winning Statement of Purpose
• Professional SOP review service