【Career Development Centre of Student Affairs Office】Further Study Insider (4) — Five Key Strategies for Securing Strong Letters of Recommendation

【學生事務部 生涯發展中心】 升學情報 (四) -- 獲取教授推薦信的五個關鍵策略

 2025-10-06     SAO-SCS     Bulletin / 公告 

While a mediocre letter might simply describe a student as ‘hardworking and diligent’, an outstanding letter can truly make your application stand out. Follow these five strategies to secure high-quality academic references:

Strategy 1: Proactive Students Are More Likely to Secure Recommendations From Professors

Professors receive countless requests, but only write detailed letters for a select few.

Recommendation: Request a meeting at least three months in advance and bring your transcript, highlighting your grade in their course; a draft of your personal statement; and reports from any relevant projects, including coursework.

Example phrasing: ”Professor, I am applying for the [Programme Name] and would particularly value your guidance on the [Specific Course/ Project]. Would you be willing to comment on my performance in [Specific Field], particularly highlighting my [Specific Skills]?”

 

Strategy 2: Avoid Generic Praise

Admissions officers may suspect that students wrote statements such as ”hardworking and intelligent” themselves.

What makes a strong letter of recommendation?

  1. Specific examples: ”Her regression model improved the project’s predictive accuracy by 12%.”
  2. Comparative benchmarks: ”Among the 50 undergraduates I have taught, his research potential ranks in the top 5%.”
  3. Personal insights: ”Her critique of XX theory demonstrated exceptional analytical courage.”

 

Strategy 3: Select Your Recommenders Wisely

Priority order:

  1. Research/project supervisors.
  2. Professors from courses in which you excelled.
  3. Respected academics with whom you have had meaningful discussions.

 

Strategy 4: Maximise the Impact of Your Letter

During your meeting with the professor, you could politely suggest impactful points, such as:

  • “She is one of the few students who can design experiments independently.”
  • “Despite the rigorous grading standards at our university, he consistently achieves grades that place him in the top 3% of the department.”

 

Strategy 5: Tailor Your Letter to Each Application

Using the same letter for multiple programmes reduces its impact.

The correct approach is to:

Provide your professor with detailed information about each programme (e.g. course syllabuses) and request adjustments that highlight specific strengths, such as quantitative analysis skills for business programmes or policy analysis experience for public policy applications.

 

Action Checklist

  1. Identify three potential referees. Prioritise those who know you best, while also considering their academic standing.
  2. Schedule an appointment with each professor within the next week and prepare customised application materials for them.
  3. Create a ”Recommended Key Points” for each application for professors’ reference.

 

Important Note: A compelling reference requires strategic planning rather than just a polite request.

一封平庸的推薦信僅會提及“該生認真努力”，而具說服力的推薦信則能讓你在眾多申請者中脫穎而出。以下五項策略將助你獲取高質素的學術推薦信：

策略一：主動型學生更易獲取教授推薦

教授每年收到大量推薦請求，但僅會為部分學生撰寫內容具體的推薦信。 

建議： 提前三個月預約面談，並帶上你的成績單（標出該教授課程成績）、個人陳述初稿、以及你曾參與的項目報告（包括課堂作業）。 

參考表述： “教授，我計劃申請XX項目，您在【具體課程/項目】中的指導對我啟發良多。能否請您就我在【具體領域】的表現，特別強調我的【具體能力】？” 

 

策略二：避免模板化表述

招生官認為如果推薦信裡寫的全是“勤奮好學”這種空話，他們默認這是學生自己寫的。

優質推薦信必備要素： 

  1. 具體事例：“她在小組項目中提出的回歸模型優化方案，使預測準確率提升12%。”
  2. 橫向比較：“在我指導過的50名本科生中，他的科研潛力位列前5%。”
  3. 個性化評價：“她對XX理論的批判性思考，展現難得的學術勇氣。”

 

策略三：選擇合適的推薦人

推薦人選優先次序： 

  1. 曾共同進行科研或項目的導師。
  2. 課程成績優異的授課教授。
  3. 學術地位崇高且與你有深入交流的教授。

 

策略四：善用推薦信加分項

與教授面談時，可適度建議加入以下內容：

  • “她是我見過極少數能獨立設計實驗的學生。”
  • “儘管我校評分嚴格，他的成績仍位列專業前3%。”

 

策略五：按申請項目調整內容

同一封推薦信用於多個申請項目會減弱其效力。

正確操作： 向教授提供各項目的課程資料，並請求調整推薦重點，例如強調量化分析能力（商科項目）、突出政策分析經歷（公共政策項目）。

 

行動清單

  1. 列出三位潛在推薦人，按“熟悉程度→學術地位”排序。
  2. 一周內預約面談，準備定制化申請材料。
  3. 為每個申請項目製作“推薦重點提示”供教授參考。

 

重要提示：優質推薦信需精心籌劃，而非被動索取。