Letters of Recommendation--The Details!

I'm certainly not the first educator to write about letters of recommendation (LOR).  In fact, visit Institute for Broadening Participation for an in-depth article called "Getting Strong Letters of Recommendation" by Susan Kauer, Scott D. Anderson and Michael Ernst for an extensive list of recommendations.  This article focuses on what I have found to be a little discussed aspect of LORs. 


 http://mashable.com/2012/04/29/improving-tech-budget/

In my years of writing LORs, I have relied in part on my training in writing business letters starting with a date, an address block, a professional salutation, and a first paragraph, short and sweet, that defines the purpose of the letter.  What I have noticed is that requesters fail to provide this information to me.  In this age of emails, perhaps they imagine that I will simply whip off an email to the address with a line that says, "To whom it may concern."  However, this doesn't make the student or myself look professional.  So I'm scouring the internet for what I need to write a professional letter.

So, in addition to all the wonderful tips I've found on getting letters of recommendation that will help you gain entrance into programs, I have to suggest that you provide the following to your writer.

1. The exact title of the program
2. The exact name of the organization, institution or foundation offering the program
3. The complete mailing address of the host organization
4. The full name, degree, and title of the contact person
5. The email address and phone number of the contact person

A lot of work?!?  Yes!!!  And you want the letter writer to be able to concentrate on the content of the letter, not be distracted by the last minute scramble for the mailing address!  :)  Harsh, I know.  But seriously, do as much as you can to make it easier for the letter writer to champion you, because that's what they do best.

Good luck!  There are still a few programs open--hurry, hurry, hurry.  You've got some internet research to do!