The Letter of Recommendation, also known as a LOR, is a document that gives admissions personnel a thorough understanding of your qualifications for admission to the relevant university.  It seeks to create a positive picture of your academic performance, strengths, experiences, accomplishments, contributions, and abilities as stated by the recommender.
This letter is written by persons who have formal authority as well as professional experience, making them qualified to explain why you’re a good fit and vouch for your potential. You should know the person who wrote the LOR.

Depending on the nature of the recommender, recommendations can be broadly classified into two categories:

An academic LOR is a letter of recommendation from a faculty member at your current or previous educational institution. Universities usually ask you to provide two or three LORs from your previous institution. This is a school teacher for a bachelor’s degree program, or a university professor if you are applying for a master’s or doctorate degree program.  Letter of Recommendation (LOR) formats rom faculty often vary in content, and requires the  professors should highlight the applicant’s achievements as a student in the course. These are often associated with her MS colleges abroad or bachelor’s programs abroad.

Most MBA colleges abroad have pre-defined work experience requirements. Therefore, they request a professional letter of recommendation from their immediate supervisor. The Professional Letter of Recommendation (LOR) Format from a Supervisor differs from an Academic LOR in terms of certain unique content that focuses on the applicant’s ability for teamwork, exposure to the field, and leadership skills—all important for the MBA course they are applying for.

Any student who plans to study abroad needs a letter of recommendation from their professor.
Every student needs at least three letters of recommendation from either their college or professional history, irrespective of the course (UG, MS, MBA, or PhD) and country.
LORs can be requested from teachers, professors, school counsellors, or the school principal for undergraduate students.
For MS students, reference letters might be written by college instructors, internship supervisors, or the team lead/manager from the company where they have worked.
LORs for MBA students should be entirely professional, especially if they have three years or more of experience.
Recently graduated college students pursuing an MBA or PhD can request recommendation letters from their college professors, supervisors, or project mentors.

Unless stated otherwise, a letter of recommendation is a 400-500 word essay describing the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. There are a number of things that must be included in your letter of recommendation, such as the type of association and how long you have been in the association. Apart from that, there are also some basic forms to consider. 

  • Most institutions require this letter to be printed on official letterhead.
  • The letterhead of the institution is required for an Academic LOR, while the letterhead of the company is required for a Professional LOR.
  • One thing to keep in mind in the latter scenario is that the letterhead should be from the company where the recommender works.
  • If your recommender has moved on to another organization, this usually causes a problem.
  • As a result, the student must understand how to select the best recommender.
  • It is important to remember that a LOR is not a duplication of a SOP.
  • A good LOR should highlight parts or perspectives of your personality that aren’t included in your SOP or resume.
  • Hence, the best person to recommend you is someone who is familiar with you well, has seen personally the quality of work you produce, and is willing to give concrete examples of your valued contributions and excellence.
  • A general LOR should be avoided because it does not offer much to advance your application to the program you are interested in.
  • Therefore, strong examples form the core of a good LOR.

Always keep in mind that each intake produces thousands of applications, and that yours is one among those that the Admission Committee reviews. Now, concentrate on including your talents and accomplishments, supported by actual examples, in order to stand out. Another crucial point is to make an effort to make each of your LORs unique, which you can only do by including particulars that are unique to each recommender. Writing a strong SOP and an impressive letter of recommendation are both necessary. Just keep the standards in mind and be mindful of the common errors you should avoid while writing a recommendation letter. It is necessary to write recommendation letters for various courses in an appropriate manner.

Recommendation Letter Format

Of all the formats and sample LORs available online, deciding on the best format to use might be difficult. As previously stated, different types of recommendation letters exist based on the course and the recommender. Apart from that, it is important to pay attention to the document’s formatting and content. 

Why Are Recommendation Letters Important?

Because practically every application requires the submission of 2-3 recommendation letters, you must choose your recommenders and have them agree to prepare your letter ahead of time. Likewise, do not underestimate the importance of a LOR; it is nearly as vital as your admission essays, statements of purpose, resume, or any other document. A Letter of Recommendation is a document that lends legitimacy to your entire profile by providing strong support from experienced and knowledgeable professors and individuals. Similarly, when selecting the proper recommender, keep a few important points in mind, and you will end up presenting great LORs to the Admission Committee.

FAQs for LOR

  • Q. Any advice on how to request a letter of recommendation?
    If you are a student, your Professors will be happy and willing to give you a recommendation letter for your admission to universities. However, you might get confused about which professor to ask for a LOR. In such a case, you can ask any Professor with whom you share a good rapport, or your HoD or Project Guide. You will not need much coaxing to get a genuine LOR from them. On the professional front, you can ask your Reporting Manager, Team Lead or Project Lead for a LOR, as they already know you closely. Last, but not least, it is always favourable to be in the good books of your Professors and/or Project Leads/Managers!
  • Q. What kind of information does the recommender need from me for the LOR?
  • If your recommender is willing to write the LOR himself/herself, then you should provide them with the following data:
  • Your resume (this should contain all your experience in the college/ firm). This will help him/her to remember instances easily and write accordingly.
  • The name of your target university and a link to their website/department website. It is a good idea to share with them the programme and course name as well.
  • Personal characteristics or core competencies that you would like them to talk about (related to the recommender)
  • Specific achievements you would like them to mention or highlight (as viewed by them)
  • Q. Can a fellow student or colleague write a LOR for me?
    This is a common misconception but no, a fellow student or your colleague cannot write a Letter of Recommendation for you. A LOR needs to be professional and devoid of any friendly or biased notions. Hence, universities even specify how many letters of recommendation they require from your professional and academic front.
  • Q. What is the exact format of a LOR?
    The letter of recommendation should have an opening section, a body and a closing section. In the first part, i.e., the opening part, the purpose of the letter should be written. The relationship between the writer and the candidate and for how long have they known each other should also be stated in the opening para. The next section, the body, will contain candidate-centric information such as his/her strengths, problem-solving abilities, leadership qualities, special work targets met, and about his/her personality. In the closing section, the writer will write about why he recommends the candidate in a crisp and clear manner.