Referees are people who can help speak to your experience and potential when applying for graduate school, medical school, and other degree, master’s, and doctorate programs. They are typically divided into two categories: professionals and academics.
Professional referees should be a supervisor or senior-level employer who worked directly above you and be able to attest that you have the skills, capabilities, and experience required by the program to which you’re applying. They’ll also be able to describe your professional attributes, such as leadership, communication, and creativity, and talk about how you used them to overcome challenges and drive career growth.
Academic referees are educators who have taught you in a course or supervised and reviewed your research. They should be able to provide their thoughts on your aptitude for learning, work ethic, and ability to handle graduate studies. Depending on the program you intend to take, your academic referee might have to hold a Ph.D. or have directly supervised your work over a minimum period of time.
Your relationship with your referees resembles that of teammates: you work together to provide the best possible outcome. To achieve this, there are certain obligations you have to your referees and other obligations they have to you. Let’s have a look at some examples.
Your obligations to your referees
Contact them well in advance of your deadline
Chances are, your referee has a packed schedule. Referral letters can take as long as five hours to complete if they are to make the proper impact on your admissions committee. If your referee agrees to write you a letter, they’re obligated to do the best job they can and support you wholeheartedly. They may not be able to do that if you approach them only one month before your submission deadline.
Get in touch with your referees at least three months before the deadline so they have the time to collaborate with you on an effective letter you’ll both be satisfied with. Additionally, be clear that you want more than a letter from them – you want their complete support.
Give your referees the tools and information they need to support you
It might appear that the admissions committee is looking for a list of strengths and weaknesses. However, they’re truly looking for a story about how you used your abilities to solve a problem, overcoming and improving upon weaknesses in the process. The best way to illustrate this is with a story your referee will compose for you.
The story should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, i.e., introduce the challenge, describe what you did to overcome it, and highlight the outcomes. Examples of outcomes could be attaining a research position with that same professor who’s now your referee. Your referee might not be aware of your personal journey, so be sure to share it with them. They will be grateful because it’ll make supporting you through writing the letter significantly easier.
You can also provide your referee with tools such as your academic transcript(s), curriculum vitae (CV), statement of interest, research papers, and other documents to help them speak to your experience and potential.
Your referee’s obligations to you
Be 100 % supportive of the applicant or decline the opportunity
Your referee must support you wholeheartedly if they agree to help you with a substantive letter designed to represent you favourably and honestly. If they can’t do that, they will decline and recommend you try someone else.
The fact that they decline likely isn’t for personal or petty reasons. They might not have time to prepare a letter or know/remember you well enough to do an adequate job. This is why it’s essential to give them enough lead time before your request (see above) and start building strong relationships with your professional leaders and academics early on.
Don’t fret if a referee declines to support you. Chances are, you’ll find someone who can provide you with the help you need to succeed, rather than receiving half-hearted testimony from someone who hardly knew you (and trust me – admissions committees can tell the difference!).
Ask the applicant meaningful questions
Your referee will not provide a letter full of compliments or say you have excellent organizational skills and leadership potential without evidence. They must give examples of how you’ve demonstrated your strengths and illustrate how you’ll be a great student within the program you want to enrol in.
However, you might not know how to tell that story or even recognize the transformation you experienced. Referees can help by asking questions about areas you felt you struggled in. Your answers will give your referee a deeper insight into your journey and help them frame an impactful story that will impress the admissions board.
One of the things I love most about being a referee is helping the applicant I’m supporting reach a moment of self-realization that helps them identify strengths they might not have known they had. As their “admissions teammate”, I wouldn’t settle for anything less!
For more information about working with referees, check out this episode of The Advancement Spot Podcast with Dr. Adrienne Shnier.
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