Home | Psychology | SUNY Plattsburgh

Information concerning letters of recommendation*

If you would like me to write you a letter of recommendation you will need to give me the following information.

Why should I write you a letter?
I can only write a strong letter for you if you have impressed me:
  • Ideally, you have impressed me enough to be my research or teaching assistant. But, being in a few of my classes is also a good start.
  • You are punctual — you hand everything in on time and are never late to class.
  • You don't make excuses and don't ask for special consideration.
  • You don't wait until the last minute to do your assignments or to study for tests.
  • You read the syllabus and are familiar with the course policies.
  • You often answer questions in class and contribute eagerly to class discussions.
  • If you are having trouble understanding something, you ask me or the teaching assistant to help you out.
  • You come talk with me about course material outside of class.
If you have not demonstrated these things to me, I probably won't be able to say much more in my recommendation than what grade you got in my class(es). In other words, my recommendation won't be very strong because I won't have much to say, and you are probably better off finding someone else to recommend you.
Information about the program
Please provide me with a brief description of the types of graduate programs, jobs, or whatever it is that you are applying for. At the very least, I need to know the exact name of the program (e.g. Experimental, Social Psychology, School Counseling, etc.) for each place you are applying and the address to which the letter will be sent (I include this at the top of my letter, so please track it down if it isn't on any of your forms).
Information about you
Provide me with as much detailed information about yourself as possible. The more information I have, the better your recommendation will be. Below are some things you should consider giving me (all in writing, don't just tell me because I may not remember it).
  • "Remind" me of what courses you took with me, what year and semester you took them, and what grades you got
  • GPA, SAT and/or GRE scores
  • A copy of your CAPP report
  • List of activities you have participated in, honor societies, leadership roles, and any other types of accomplishments.
  • Resume or curriculum vitae if you have one
  • Why you chose this program/career/etc. A copy of the "personal statement" that you typically have to write for graduate school would be appropriate (even if it isn't the final polished version.)
  • Indicate any particular "qualities" you have that you would like me to emphasize, or that the place you are applying to seems to particularly look for.
Forms (all filled out)
If there are forms that I need to fill out, give them to me. You need to fill out as much information as possible on these forms before giving them to me. Any information you need to fill out should be typed (not hand-written, which looks messy and undermines your chances of acceptance). Below is my information, for you to type on your forms:

My name is: Dr. J. Stephen Mansfield
My position is: Associate Professor of Psychology
My address is: Department of Psychology, Plattsburgh State University, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
My phone number is: (518) 564-3384
Waive your access
On the recommendation form (if there is one), you should agree to "waive your right to access" the recommendation, which means that your recommendation will remain confidential and you will not be able to look at it. This is not because I am afraid of you seeing my letter, but because non-confidential letters are often seen as weaker than confidential ones by the admissions boards, and I want you to appear as strong as possible.
Envelopes etc.
Provide me with all necessary envelopes, stamped and addressed to the appropriate places. If I am supposed to return the recommendation to you in an envelope, be sure to indicate on the envelope the name of the school/job/etc. that the recommendation is for, so that you know what to do with it when you get it back.
Due date
For each school/job, indicate when I need to have it done by (e.g. stick a post-it on the form). Please give me at least 2 weeks notice.
Give me all of your requests together
If you are applying for more than one school/job, please try to give me all of your requests at the same time. I am happy to write several recommendations, and I prefer to work on them all at once.
Complete the 'Student Reference Authorization' form
I am not allowed to disclose any of your academic information in my reference unless you specifically give me authorization, in writing, to do so. Please download the 'Student Reference Authorization' form, print it out, complete it, and send it to me.

NOTE: The authorization form is a pdf document which can be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Acrobat on your computer you can download and install a free Acrobat Reader.

Follow-up
Finally, come back and let me know how it all turned out! Where did you get accepted? Where are you going?

*These requirements are the same as those stipulated by Dr. Wendy Braje.