Letters of Recommendation

Letters of Recommendation

This page is not an official publication of
the University of North Texas.

Some things you should know beforehand:

There are a number of factors that will effect whether I will be willing and/or able to write you a letter of recommendation. I will not write mediocre letters of recommendation--if I agree to write one for you, it will be because I can write you a positive letter.

If your grade is low (or grades are low), it may still be possible to write you a good letter. You will have to discuss this with me.

On the other hand, your classroom and/or professional conduct matter. For example, even your grades are excellent--I will almost certain not write a letter for you if there have been repeated attitude and/or behavior issues in terms of your conduct in my class. For example, if you are consistently late to class, if you are a whiner, if you are consistently unwilling and/or unable to follow instructions, if you are disruptive, then I'm not going to write you a letter. If you are a TF or TA who is applying for a job and who has a significant record of not meeting administrative deadlines, then it will be impossible for me to write you a letter.

If you are not sure, you should ask. As I have told many of you before, the right question to ask is "can you write me a strong letter of recommendation?"

Additional food for thought:

If I agree to write a letter for you, I will write as strong a letter as I can. In the case of TAMS students, I will include your letter grade(s) and your overall rank(s) in my course (based on total points earned). I may also do so for other classes.

General Guidelines:

If I agree to write a letter for you, I will need all of your completed materials in my hand ONE MONTH in advance of the earliest due date.

That means I need all of your materials for a given batch of letters (see below). Once I have the your materials, your particular batch of letters will go into the queue and I will complete the batches of letters in the order that I receive them. Warning: If you decide that you would like additional letters, you will to ask about those separately. If I agree to do those, they will go to the end of the queue. If you wait too long, it may be that I won't agree to do those as either the queue will be too long and/or the time insufficient for the task(s).

What I need from you:

A. You will need to give me a standard manila folder (8 by 11) with your name printed on it. There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what a standard manila folder is--so here is a picture:

Your manila folder must contain each of the following:

One sheet that clearly and neatly lists (in chronological order) the due dates for each college/scholarship application.   This sheet should also include

Your contact information

Goals: What you want to major in as of now and what careers you are considering, what graduate school you want to attend or why you want job X or internship Y.

Extra Activities: Describe only major activities like summer research, summer schools, major awards. Extra curricular activities associated to the University (or TAMS) may be relevant. Volunteer work may or may not be relevant, but it won't hurt for me to be aware of it.

Personal Statement (Optional): You can add anything you want me to know about yourself, but keep it to one sheet of paper.

Be sure to proof read it!

All the forms. This INCLUDES one self-adhesive, stamped, and properly addressed envelope for each form and/or letter that I will be writing for you. Note: The Self-Adhesive envelope requirement is not optional .

Be advised that the UNT post office requires that all large envelopes have TWO STAMPS, even if they weigh under one ounce. Also, the self-adhesive requirement is not optional.

Note: You must fill out all application forms as completely as possible! If you leave anything blank that you could have filled out, including routine stuff on my section, I will leave it blank too! Each form will have a section for you to fill out and a section for me to fill out. Fill out your section AND as much of my section as possible (see below)

Fill in my name, address (if the form calls for my address) (Douglas Brozovic, University of North Texas, Math. Dept., 1155 Union Circle #311430, Denton TX 76203-5017), phone number (940 565 4304), email address (brozovic@unt.edu), length of time I have known you, capacity in which I have known you.

If the form calls for the High School Name, Address and such, use the TAMS office address.

IMPORTANT: I will not write a letter of recommendation unless you waive your right to read it in the future. Make sure that you indicate that you waive this right and sign in the appropriate place. On the common application, you must sign (not type in) your name, you must date it, and bubble in the that you are waiving your right to read the letter--lots of people forget this and waste a lot of time.

Make sure all forms are signed by you.

B. I won't write your letters until you have provided the info that I requested--that is, you don't go into the queue until it's squared away.

If you mess this up, the incomplete forms/letters will go to the end of the queue, and that may delay your letter to the point that I can no longer write it. The point: Be sure you have completed your parts and have provided me with the materials that I require.

C. If you want an email letting you know when your letters are sent, send me an email so I can reply to it.

D. I won't be able to write letters for the Plan II Honors Program and/or the Dean's Scholars Program at the University of Texas. Indeed, I will be unable to write letters that can only be filled out and submitted electronically. This includes the online versions of the QuestBridge applications.

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