Recommendation letters

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In short: This entry guides you through the process of getting a recommendation letter at university. As a baseline, you can be assured that they are all happy to help and glad to support students in their endeavors!

What, Why & When[edit]

Recommendation letters are often needed, be it for scholarships, applications for a semester abroad, getting a doctorate or for an internship. This is a great opportunity, since especially scholarships offer a way to approach inequalities that still prevail in the system, supporting people with fewer possibilities. Many scholarships are however only handed to students with the best grades (the margin typically at the best 5-10%). Keep that in mind when asking a professors who knows your grades and maybe ask for a stretch if your grade was not in the top 10% but e.g. in the best 25%. Be confident and try your luck as well, in case you are an elected student representative and engaged in the student body. If you work in a professor’s team or working group, start there and ask for support. For those students who did not receive any grades yet - typically first semester students - writing a short motivation letter that clearly outlines how the scholarship or activity would benefit their career might be helpful.

Any recommendation letter can however also be seen as inherently rigged, since most of the times, professors can hardly write a true account of a person that takes one class or lecture with them. Instead, they write something altogether positive that may even put the person under a lot of pressure. After all, who can live up to the high praise that is generated in these letters of support? Therefore, it is very important to some professors to write these letter personally, and not to only rely on generic statements, if at all possible. In order to achieve this, they typically interview the potential candidates who ask for a letter of support, and try to write a letter that is specially tailored for them. This might take some more time but will result in a more fitted letter.

So, who should you ask? Always check out the institution’s criteria. Typically, any professor who taught you in a minimum of 1-2 classes (where you had top grades) can be approached. Knowing them from a seminar context might be nicer than from a big lecture but you can make a positive impression either way. There are other options of professors that support also non-top grade students if they are e.g. engaged as student representatives or professors you work for or know from conferences, for instance.

Finding a professors who meets both the criteria given by the institution that wants the letter and is willing to write the letter can be very difficult. The question of how and when you should ask them can make all the difference and will be discussed below. In any case, you should contact and ask at least 2 weeks prior to the deadline.

Scenarios[edit]

These four exemplary scenarios are meant to illustrate different levels of preparation needed from your side and things to keep in mind. Depending on scenario, the do’s and dont’s might differ.

  • Scenario 1: You are a member of the professor’s working group/institute/team and they already know you well.
  • Scenario 2: You are a person the professor knows a little (periphery).
  • Scenario 3: The professor does not know you at all yet - you are a stranger.
  • Scenario 4: You approach the professor on very short notice or even behind the deadline.

DOs and DONTs[edit]

When finally approaching a professor who checks all the formal boxes for the recommendation letter, you should keep the following aspects in mind, so that they are more likely to write it for you. As a baseline, you can be assured that they are all happy to help and glad to support students in their endeavors!

Table of DOs and DONTs in scenarios of asking for a letter of recommendation

What different scholarships want to hear - peers’ experience[edit]

You should check out the necessary aspects to include in the letter of recommendation on your own, prior to asking a professor to write it.

In general, it is good to look out for staying close to the institution’s topics and appropriate skills and to stress aspects of your university career that fit to the letter’s purpose. The following may not apply for when you need the letter for e.g. an internship but might help people needing a recommendation letter for one of the following institutions:

  • The Deutschlandstipendium values good grades and performance orientation on many levels, so they grant scholarships to engaged and driven students. They take into account individual biographies and educational hurdles. Support is granted independent of income.
  • The Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes supports applicants eligible for the BAföG (German federal training and education assistance act), independent of age. There may not be a typical scholarship holder but they appreciate a critical mindset, top grades and societal engagement. After a first round of formal application, there is a selection process in form of a weekend with other applicants where you have individual talks, give a presentation and lead a group discussion.
  • scholarships that are affiliated with political parties, e.g. the Heinrich Böll Stiftung supports active and creative students that take over societal responsibility for a democratic world. They support less privileged students such as PoC, but also women in natural sciences, students in environmental sciences and journalism. They want to hear about yourself, your values and what drives you to what to contribute to a more just world.
  • scholarships financed though worker unions (Gewerkschaften), e.g. the Hans Böckler Stiftung. They appreciate union engagement and experience with union topics, along with above-average grades. Applicants have to be eligible for the BAföG (German federal training and education assistance act).

Links & further references[edit]

The author of this entry is Linda von Heydebreck and Henrik von Wehrden.