Tips for getting the best reference letter ~ university application.

Hello, I hope you are well and keeping safe. I am! Today I am just going to jump right in to write about getting a reference letter for your university application. Some call it a letter of recommendation but I prefer to stick to “reference letter”.

What is a teacher reference letter? A reference letter is a letter written by one or two of your teachers that taught you at high school or a lecturer from university or a supervisor at your work place. This letter highlights yours character, skills, academic abilities, strengths, goals and accomplishments. It is an important letter because it helps you stand out among other applicants.

There are two major types of reference letters, an academic one and a professional one. For an undergraduate application, in most cases, only an academic reference letter is required which is mostly referred to as a teacher reference because a teacher who has taught you previously should be the one to write it for you. Some universities require just one while some prefer two reference letters.

At postgraduate level however, they require two letters from applicants who have had a chance to work after their Bachelor’s degree. In this case, they prefer to receive an academic reference and a professional one. The academic one, much like the teacher reference should be written by a lecturer who taught you whilst at university. The professional one on the other hand should be written by a senior colleague where you work.

There can be slight changes for instance, if your lecturer or research supervisor relocates, s/he can still write you a reference letter. That has happened to me before when my supervisor relocated to the US to work at another university. Such letter would still be accepted because he once taught me and supervised my research.

So here are my tips below for getting a perfect reference letter.

Be awesome at school, university or work! Let your character speak for you
Keep in constant touch with your favorite teacher, lecturer, professor, senior colleague, supervisor or boss.
Approach someone who would happily write you a reference and write great things about you and sing your praise🥳
Thank them once it’s been done, you might need to approach them again for another letter of reference.
Universities request for reference letters in different ways one by asking for an already written letter with the company letter and stamp; whilst some just require contact details of your references especially where they work, position, email address and phone number.

with these tips, you should get a perfect letter of reference to support your university application. Here is wishing you all the best! Don’t relent, don’t give up. Keep trying. You will make it. Thank you for stopping by. I hope to see you next time. Please like and share to anyone who might need to read this. Keep well, bye for now👋