Writing Letters of Recommendation

We all know that students fret about soliciting the letters of recommendation that are part of every graduate school application. Guess what? Professors face their own set of issues about writing recommendation letters. Writing a helpful letter takes a great deal of thought and time -- and it is only through experience that professors learn how to be efficient in writing effective recommendation letters. That said, over the last twelve years that I've taught college, I've gotten better at writing letters but they are and will always be time consuming. These tips are simply a starting point for preparing to write a letter of recommendation. Students should find it helpful to take a peek at the other side of this issue.