Jeffrey S. Rosenthal's Policy on Letters of Recommendation

• I can only write you a recommendation if I know you reasonably well, e.g. I taught you in a class or supervised you on a project. Please do not ask me for a recommendation if I do not know you well. [STA257 rule: For students who took STA257 with me, and have no other connection to me, I can only write you a recommendation if you attended nearly all of the lectures, and got at least 80% in STA257, and have cumulative GPA at least 3.5.]
• If you want me to write you a recommendation, then please first ask me (by e-mail is fine) -- including telling me your name and student number, reminding me how we know each other (a photo might help) and related info (e.g. did you attend all of my lectures when you took my class? where did you sit?), sending me your full academic transcript(s), telling me how many schools you will apply to with what deadlines, and telling me if I have written recommendations letters for you before. I reserve the right to decline your request, especially since I am now getting so many requests from so many students.
• If I agree, then I prefer to have at least a few weeks (after receiving all the materials described below) to write your recommendation. I may bend this requirement a little, but the earlier you ask me, the better.
• In the event that you require multiple recommendations (e.g. for multiple institutions, or multiple scholarships), be sure to inform me of this with your initial request, and to provide information about all of the recommendations together. (It is much easier for me to write multiple recommendations all at once.)
• Except in very special circumstances, I will write only confidential letters of recommendation, not open letters, since it is impossible to be honest and unbiased in a non-confidential letter. So, please assist me in maintaining confidentiality by waiving your right with universities to examine your recommendation letters, and by arranging for me to send my recommendations directly to the institutions (either by web, or by e-mail, or by hardcopy) rather than giving them to you.
• If I agree to write you a recommendation, then please supply me with the following materials:
  • A clear list of the place(s) to which you are applying, and the deadline(s) by which I must complete the recommendation(s), and whether my recommendation should be web-based, or by e-mail (provide the e-mail address), or by hardcopy (provide addressed envelopes for me to use; you do not need to provide postage stamps).
  • Any special recommendation "instructions" which were provided by the school/job to which you are applying.
  • Up-to-date copies of all of your university transcripts. To repeat: ALL, not just the most recent ones. (An unofficial copy is okay. Make sure it includes your NAME. For UofT, please use the usual "Complete Academic History" version.) This should also include a list of all courses that you are currently taking.
  • A copy of whatever other relevant information you have about yourself, such as a C.V. and/or a "Statement of Research Plans" and/or your GRE scores and/or the parts of the application that you have already prepared about yourself. (You do not need to prepare any additional written materials just for me, but you should give me whatever you already have. Preliminary drafts are okay.)
  • Your e-mail address and phone number, in case I need to ask you anything further.
  Either put hardcopies of all of the above materials into a single large-sized envelope (with your name written on the outside) and give it to me, OR you may e-mail me the materials (preferably with easily-identifiable filenames without spaces, e.g. "MaryJaneTranscript.pdf") all in a single e-mail, hopefully in plain text or postscript or pdf format (not Microsoft Word format nor as a spreadsheet).
• For schools using web-based applications, you should then list me as a reference in your application so that I will hopefully receive an automatic e-mail (at the address jeff@math.toronto.edu) requesting my recommendation. (Be sure to waive your right to examine the recommendation; see above.)
• Once you have completed all of the above, and everything is all ready for me to go ahead and complete all of your recommendations at once, including registering me for all of the web-based applications, then please e-mail me again to inform me of this, by saying explicitly that "Everything is all ready to go". In your e-mail, please also remind me when is your earliest application deadline (hopefully at least a few weeks later).
• I might then arrange to meet with you (perhaps by video chat), and right after our meeting I will complete all of your recommendations, all at once. (So, it is very important that all of your recommendations are ready to go before we meet -- I will not write multiple recommendations for you at different times.)
• If any of the above is not clear, then you may e-mail me for clarification.
• Note: I usually shred confidential documents and delete large attachments once I am through with them. So, if you require new recommendations in a later year, then please repeat the above procedure in its entirety.
• Final note: Please do not give me any "gift" to thank me for completing your recommendations. I appreciate the thought, but it is not appropriate. You are welcome to write me a thank-you e-mail or card if you wish, but please do not give me any item that costs any money.

-- Jeffrey S. Rosenthal (contact me)