Becoming a Postdoc, PhD, Masters, or Undergraduate Research Assistant
If you want to do research with me, please follow the instructions on the A²R Lab Join page.
Letter of Recommendation Requests
In order to make sure I can write good letters of recommendation, all of the following must be true before I can commit to writing you a letter:
- You’ve asked for it at least a month in advance of the deadline.
- You’ve given me all of the information you have about what is expected in the letter, especially if it is not a conventional graduate school application.
- I’ve collaborated with you on a project, or if you were a student in my class, I’ve had multiple conversations about things beyond the scope of a class and its requirements (e.g., in office hours, in research, or other settings).
For many students, this is easy to satisfy. For example, researchers in my lab easily satisfy all of the criteria above! If you do not qualify based on all of the criteria above, but still think I am the best person to write you a letter, exceptions may be made in some cases. Please make sure to explain in detail why you think an exception should be made!
If you are eligible for a letter, please send me an email to bplancher+advising@barnard.edu with all of the following:
- The deadline and where/how to submit the letter.
- Details about what the letter is for, preferably a URL to whatever you’re applying to.
- Your latest transcript and CV/resume.
- A draft of your application materials.
- Why you think I’m an ideal person to write the letter and what you’d hope I’d highlight in my letter.
- If we did not interact regularly, a detailed summary of all of our interactions, to help prime my memory.
Also, as many recommendation letters now go through formal submission systems, once I agree to write your letter, please add me to that system as soon as you can.
Finally, I will only write letters if you agree to waive your rights to see the letter. That is the only way I can provide strong and honest letters to all students who submit requests each year.