How to get strong recommendation letters

Most scholarships abroad ask for 2 or 3 letters from people who know your work: teachers, supervisors or employers.

Who to ask

• A teacher or professor who taught you in a subject related to what you want to study
• Your thesis or project supervisor
• Your manager, if you have work or volunteering experience Choose people who know you well over people with big titles.

How to ask

1. Ask at least 4 weeks before the deadline, in person or by polite email.
2. Send them a short pack: your CV, your transcript, what you want to study and why, the scholarship name and deadline, and how to submit (many are uploaded online directly by the recommender).
3. Remind them of 2 or 3 specific things you did in their class or job.
4. Send a gentle reminder one week before the deadline, and a thank-you afterwards.

Tips

• Letters should be on official letterhead with a signature, or submitted from an official email address.
• Never write your own letter for someone to sign.

Typical time: 2 to 4 weeks.