Letters of recommendation, most commonly written by professors (sometimes also by employers or others who know you well), are required for almost every U.S. graduate school application and are an extremely important part of the application process. Strong letters can improve your application significantly.

Generally three letters of recommendation are required per application (schools will specify).  When deciding who to ask to write your letters of recommendation consider how well the letter writer knows you, as well as how effective a writer he or she may be. 

A clever strategy you can use to get a good letter of recommendation is to provide your letter writer with information about yourself along with your request for the letter. This way, you can get a letter that includes specific details that you want mentioned, not just a general report on your grades.

When getting a letter of recommendation, look for a person who—

• Is aware of your academic areas of interest and the schools you are applying to
• Is able to evaluate your performance in your field of interest.
• Is able to discuss your personal strengths
• Can discuss your capacity to work with others
• Can discuss your leadership skills
• Can evaluate your level of professionalism (e.g., punctuality, efficiency, assertiveness)
• Can discuss your academic skills—not simply experience, but your potential to succeed in graduate-level study
• Will evaluate you positively in relation to others
• Has some professional recognition and whose judgment will be valued within the field
• Is able to write a good reference letter (i.e., can write well in English)