Itâs important for each piece of praise to be backed up with a specific example. The adcom is not going to take your recommenders word for how great you are â t need to PROVE it via examples that illustrate their points. In addition itâs important that the recommender actually answer the questions â youâd be surprised how many donât. Finally, itâs critical that your recommender know you & have worked closely with you. A recommendation from someone whoâs super senior/important but can only speak to you in generalities is not a strong recommendation. You want someone who has worked directly with you for a period of time (ideally a year or more).
ITA will go into a lot of detail on how to get a recommendation. The ADCOM will tell you exactly how to ask for a recommendation; ITAs a two-way street and you should be nice to them if there willing to help, and Donat be rude if teaware not. If an ITA does not have a recommendation for you, please do not worry about it. Many ADCOM have recommendations but just Donat know who to ask (for some reason). You, the user, are in charge of this process & you need to be proactive in identifying potential good reviewers. If you get one recommendation, and you prefer them to someone else, by all means Donat be offended — the recommendation is just one of a lot of good reviews. In fact, if you receive one recommendation, and prefer them to someone else, it may be a sign teaware looking.