The nominators, with input from candidates, will submit to the administrative coordinator for the Robertson Award names of individuals whom they would like to write letters of recommendation on behalf ...

Here is a common scene: A supervisor agrees to write your letter of recommendation with one condition—you draft it. Shocker. We, too, were surprised the first time this happened to us.

If you want to write a letter of recommendation that succeeds, you have two choices. You can spend 30 minutes to write a letter that is likely to be ignored, and thus, you will have wasted 30 minutes.

If you’re unsure how to write a letter of recommendation, start by telling the admissions committee something about the applicant that they’re unlikely to glean from a résumé or transcript.

*Always ask your letter writers to save their letters. At the end of the application year, the letters are deleted from application systems. For those using the Pre-Professional Advising letter ...