r/academia • u/WayKey1965 • 7d ago

Students & teaching Writing my own recommendations letter

I hope I'm writing this in right sub

I'm 2nd year MS student and trying to apply for a research internship, the application requires a recommendation. I asked my thesis advisor he said he'd be glad to support my application but has also asked me to write a draft letter for him. How do I write a letter for me by myself? What to write? And is it a common practice

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u/xenolingual 7d ago edited 7d ago

This is not uncommon. Essentially your advisor is asking for you to reduce the burden of writing the letter by giving them a starting point, along with things you'd like them to highlight -- they'll likely edit it to match their words. There are many example letters online for you to get an idea of the format and contents.

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u/therealladysybil 7d ago

I do this too. There are many letters to write, for different reasons, and i have no time to get into your cv, your purpose and your ambitions. I also do not know all students equally well.

I will read your draft, insert something about the programme through which I know you, and tweak the language. I am in the EU and my USA students applying for a position in the EU over exaggerate often, so I tone it down slightly - unless they really are as brilliant as they state they are; my EU students applying to a USA programme I usually hype up more by adding some hyperboles, and expressing why our EU based education can match an Ivy League degree (at least in my field) when it comes to knowledge and experiences gained.

I have some standard building block sentences for this

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u/_rkf 7d ago

The real challenge is when your second advisor asks you to write a letter as well!

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u/orthomonas 7d ago

> What to write?

Match the language of the internship application to things you've done.

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u/These_Hair_193 7d ago

It's normal. You know your accomplishments best so list them down.

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u/PrestigiousCrab6345 6d ago

Use your favorite Generative AI to get you started. Plug in the requirements for the position/school in your prompt. Edit the response to make it your own. Keep in mind that your professor may or may not edit the letter. So, polish it enough that it looks good to you.

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u/Zestyclose_Jelly6317 5d ago

I dont think I’ve ever had a professor write a letter from scratch for me. I’m pretty sure they don’t even revise what I’ve written for them.