Letter Of Recommendation (LOR) - How To Write An LOR For MS In Ireland
Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is a testimonial of how you are as an individual, academically and professionally. It is an accreditation of your academic abilities as assessed by your lecturers and professors. It could also be an assessment of your professional expertise given by managers or supervisors at your company. LORs are highly valued in Ireland, so ensure you have a good LOR.
Letter of Recommendation (LOR) - How to write an LOR for MS in Ireland
Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is a testimonial of how you are as an individual, academically and professionally. It is an accreditation of your academic abilities as assessed by your lecturers and professors. It could also be an assessment of your professional expertise given by managers or supervisors at your company. LORs are highly valued in Ireland, so ensure you have a good LOR.
Typical time required: 1 – 2 weeks
Highlights
- The Letter of Recommendation should tell a story about you and represent you as an individual highlighting your admirable characteristics and positive personality traits.
- For some universities, you need to give your recommender’s contact details in an application form in your CV. Your recommender will get an email with a form or a link to a questionnaire containing a few direct questions about you.
- In most cases (when the recommender doesn’t know you that well or if they are caught up with other work and cannot write it for you), the recommender will ask you to write an LOR so that they don’t have to write the whole document themselves.
Before You Start
- Check for specific requirements mentioned by your university for your LOR. Some universities insist on particular formats.
- Do not exceed the word limit for the LOR, e.g. 500 words, 1 page, 2000 characters etc.
- See how many LORs are needed. Also, check if they have mentioned who your recommenders should be (e.g. your Professor, Project manager).
- If you lack any prior internship experience, you can request for an LOR from your professor, head of Department, or the director of the University you have studied at. The credibility of their words will be more than a letter from your high school.
Required Documents (for your recommender)
- Your CV (if necessary)
- Your Grade Report (if needed)
- A draft LOR (if required)
Step by step Guide
- Think of 2-3 individuals who can give you a good recommendation letter. That means (i) You have attended their lectures or have been associated with them earlier (ii) they know you personally (preferable) (iii) They are in a respectable position.
- Humbly request them for a positive Letter of Recommendation.
- When asking for someone from your university, you may also send a copy of your transcripts, reminding them of your performance in their classes.
- When asking a senior from you’re the organization that you did your internship from, ask someone who can give information on your role and contributions to the work.
- If you are writing a LOR draft, keep the tone friendly and formal.
- There should be details on the duration of your experience and how the recommender knows you.
- If you are required to prepare many drafts of the LOR for different recommenders, ensure that you have entirely changed the content with minimal overlap.
- Lastly, you can embellish and highlight the positive points but refrain from making untrue statements. That would be both disrespectful and unethical.
- Once your recommender gives you the final document, check if it is signed, stamped and sealed.
- The recommender should mention their full name, contact number, email id and designation at the organization. These details shold appear at the end of the letter. This way, universities can directly get in touch with your recommenders.
- Make sure you notify your recommenders with details about the universities you will be applying to.
Useful Tips
- Keep in mind the type of university and the program you will be applying to before sending the LORs.
- Recommendations from professors and managers that you have worked with most recently carry greater weight that old ones.
- Your LOR has to be written on the company’s or university’s letterhead only, should be stamped by the department and signed by your recommender.
