Department of Fine Arts

Guidelines for Requesting Letters of Recomendation

For Graduate School

1. Speak with your professors about which graduate schools might be a good fit for your interests and goals in studying art/art history beyond the undergraduate years.

2. In the fall of your senior year, please inform your primary advisor or professor of your intentions to apply to graduate school.

3. If you plan to take some time off, discuss your interest in applying in a future year and ways of being in touch about recommendation letters a year or more in the future. A return visit to campus and a comprehensive discussion with professors can be most beneficial.

4. By early November, you should have all the information from the various graduate schools. Let your professors writing for you have the necessary information on one checklist page — with your entire list of schools and the due dates.

   1. Make clear distinctions­ (if needed­) between schools that need a hard copy letter, and those that have the online system for uploading documents.

   2. If hard copies or letters in sealed envelopes are required, please provide your professor with the appropriate envelope for mailing, with stamps.

   3. Send your professor your application materials, especially your statement of purpose, which will help them write the best possible letter on your behalf.

5. Please consider using the Interfolio system for having your professor’s recommendation letter uploaded to its system. There is a nominal fee to subscribe, and it is linked through the Hiatt website. This expedites the secure delivery of a recommendation letter if your recommender is away at a conference, or busy with other matters.

Do not send emails from the graduate school or University’s website until you have discussed with the Professor the fact of the pending application, and the due date (see the need for a check­‐list as above).

Such emails from a University online system can easily get buried in the daily influx of emails or lost in spam. Or they can appear suddenly as a command to the Professor in the midst of a busy day, and they do not list deadlines. You want to be sure your recommendation process is supported fully by your professors. The Fine Arts Department hopes to see you receive an excellent placement, and your success is our goal.

6. Keep your professors posted when you do hear from the various graduate schools where you have been accepted!! And stay in touch if you need any assistance about how to evaluate different offers.

For Internships and Study Abroad Applications

Follow the same instructions listed above for requesting a letter of recommendation for graduate school.

Create a resume of your work history and academic accomplishments while at Brandeis. Even if it's only a page, the details will be helpful for your professor when composing the first letter.

Please supply stamped, self-addressed envelopes for your letters as these shorter recommendation letters or forms may need to be put in the US mail.

Otherwise, if e-mail notes are adequate, or if you simply need to provide a contact name for reference, be clear in discussing the details with your professor. Again, if there are multiple applications, please provide a checklist of due dates and locations to which you are applying.