Glenn’s Letter of Rec. Guidelines

Writing letters of recommendation and helping my students advance academically and career-wise is among the most important parts of my work; I take it very seriously. As my career has developed, fitting in time to write and submit such letters has become more and more difficult (in addition to teaching, I usually have about 10 research projects that I am working on, 2-5 committees that I am on, and at least one book that I am working on–and some days I receive as many as 1,000 emails in a day–about half being actionable). With this all in-mind, I have developed guidelines for students to acquire letters from me that ensures that I have the time to get letters submitted in a timely and effective manner. Below are my requirements for students who are interested in having me write them letters of rec. for grad school,  jobs, etc.).

TIMELINE AND LOGISTICAL ISSUES: Note that if you are applying to graduate programs, you should ideally consult the timeline in my book, Own Your Psychology Major!, published by the APA. In it, have a full chapter (with a detailed timeline) about applying to graduate programs. Here are some of the main points:

1. 1. Note that most good graduate programs start in Fall, so I don’t recommend planning on entering in Spring.
   2. Most due dates will be found late in Fall of your senior year (assuming standard four-year undergrad plan) and early/mid-semester the following spring.
   3. Students should consult with me or another faculty advisor on issues such as the number of programs to apply to, what kinds of programs to apply to given your future plans, the writing of your personal statement, etc. We are here to help. As a rule of thumb, I suggest that students apply to at least five graduate programs and make sure to ALWAYS have at least one safety school. I have seen too many good students get skunked over the years.
   4. Students should (usually in office hours) ask faculty a semester of ahead of time if they are willing to write letters when the time comes. If they say yes, get that in writing via a polite follow-up email.
   5. Note that, aside from internship supervisors, usually only academic faculty are universally considered appropriate as letter writers (supervisors from non-academic jobs are often considered inappropriate and including such letters often looks pretty rookie).
   6. During Fall semester of senior year, you should be applying to grad programs. This is when the work happens. For me (and every professor is different on this process), I REQUIRE that students do the following:
      1. Meet with me during my office hours to help me write and submit your letters right then and there. This is much to the student’s benefit not only because I obviously will write nice things about you (which I will no matter what if I agree to write letters for you), but also because you can point me toward/send me links to submit all letters right then and there so that we can, together, make 100% sure it gets done. I have been using this process for several years now and I promise you it works. Typically only a 15-minute meeting (once you have solidified your list of programs) is needed. NOTE: Even if it is difficult to do so, I cannot urge you enough to make the time for this fifteen minute meeting during my office hours (I usually hold 6 hours a week and usually have both summer and winter hours as well–if it is difficult to do due to work, etc., think lunch breaks, ask a supervisor for the time emphasizing its importance, etc.).
      2. Just putting in my name, info, and email address when you are applying and not seeing me during my office hours to help me puts the student at risk–those emails get buried in my inbox way more quickly than you might think–and I typically write letters for about 70 students a year (so I submit, roughly, one a day per year–which is a lot–which is why I ask for your help).
      3. Don’t be surprised if I ask you to re-send the link (most grad application portals include this step in the system–because it is very common for faculty to lose track of these emails–see prior point).
      4. You can set up a meeting for this via the process that is demarcated on my website, glenngeher.com.
      5. If you do not make the time to meet with me to help me with this process, I likely will not be able to help you by submitting letters for you (no matter how much I may want to do so).
   7. If you get into more than one program and need help choosing a program, do not hesitate to set up a follow-up meeting with me to discuss–I take this kind of advising very seriously–and truly see the success of my students and alumni as my own success.
   8. Make sure that we meet to submit these letters before the first one is due–and ideally, having them all ready to go (to avoid having to hold a follow-up meeting) is best for both of us (if feasible–I understand that sometimes it is not).
   9. Realize that, like most professors, I care greatly about your future and totally hope that you will keep me apprised as to how the process goes, where you end up going if you get accepted, etc. I care about each and every one of my students profoundly.

As always, don’t hesitate to let me know if you have questions.

Genuinely, Glenn

 

rev. 12/2/2024