上次我們談到了如何寫PS，併為大家附上了一份多倫多大學官方提供的PS模板。這次我們根據UC伯克利GSI的指導，來聊一聊如何（替導師）撰寫一份給自己用的推薦信....並附上一份伯克利的推薦信模板。
今天的教程分為以下這幾個部分，讓我們需要以你的導師的角度，來寫這封推薦信：
1.推薦信內容要求
2.在寫推薦信時什麼是應該寫的，什麼是不該寫的
3.推薦信範例
推薦信內容要求
一封好的推薦信最少需要三個段落，內容最好不超過2頁（如果你申請的學校有明確規定推薦信內容不超過一頁的話那就只提供一頁）。
主要內容需要涉及：
- 交待自己的背景，交待自己如何認識該學生，認識學生多長時間，
- 如果您是他的任課老師，那麼您教他什麼課程（包括課程名稱和課程編號）說明學生在課程中所獲得的；並提及與過去認識的其他學生相比，這個學生的特點和優點。同時，如果可能的話，結合學生的申請目標（院校、專業等），指出該學生能夠particular strengths fit well with the chosen discipline.
- 根據具體示例（如課程成績）來描述學生的優秀之處， It is extremely important to give specific examples to back up your more general claims. It is also helpful to check the grade records, if they are available, for many recommendation forms ask you to state the student’s position in the class (for example, in the top 5%, 10%, etc.).
在推薦信中，這個學生獨有的特點非常重要，一定要記住寫出學生的特異性。行文中，應該討論以下部分或全部內容：
- Intellectual ability (overall intelligence, analytical skills, creativity, academic record, retention of information)
- Knowledge of area of specialty (depth and breadth of knowledge, use and knowledge of methodology, experience)
- Communication skills (writing skills, oral articulateness)
- Personal qualities (industry, self-discipline, motivation, maturity, initiative, flexibility, leadership qualities, team working skills, perseverance, energy, competitiveness, etc.)
- Suitability for graduate study or profession.
- Conclude by recommending the student based on his or her performance in your class and on personal strengths and weaknesses.
在寫推薦信時什麼是應該寫的，什麼是不該寫的
應該做到：
1.要具體specific。提及學生的工作，完成的項目，活動等。
2.要客觀objective。儘可能陳述事件。如果您想證明學生的人際交往能力，請以具體事例說明您是如何觀察學生與他人的互動的。
2.做到誠實和積極honest and positive。負面評價會影響學生獎學金或被錄取的機會，甚至還會影響到您自身，因此不能寫。
3.保持整潔，輸入字母，然後檢查拼寫和語法。拼寫錯誤、語法錯誤或措辭不當的信件，份量不如專業陳述。
4.請用簽字筆在推薦信上簽名（如果可以的話）。
5.請提供聯繫信息，例如您的姓名，職務，機構，郵寄地址，電子郵件地址和電話號碼。
6.要注意潛在的歧義和帶有負面含義的詞語。另外，請注意，您忽略提及的內容可能與您提及的內容一樣重要。
應該避免：
1.請勿使用平淡的字眼，例如nice, fairly, satisfactory, good。
2.請勿提及race or nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, appearance, disability, marital status等特徵，這些特徵可能會被視為歧視。 比方說，不要出現 “John did very well in my class despite his obvious disabilities….”
推薦信範例
別忘記了用University letterhead
Dear [recipient’s name]: or To Whom it May Concern:
It is my pleasure to recommend Jane Doe for admission to [name of program] at [name of university]. I am a fifth-year Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley. I came to know Jane when I was her Graduate Student Instructor for Philosophy 111: Ethical Relativism, taught by Professor John Smith. The course comprised [short description of course]. Jane distinguished herself by submitting an exceptionally well researched and interesting project on ethical practices in ancient Greece. I would rank her in the top 2% of students that I have taught in the past five years in respect of her writing ability and research skills.
Overall, Jane is highly intelligent and has good analytical skills. Her project on ethical practices in ancient Greece demonstrated her ability to come a detailed understanding of the ethical practices of another, very different, culture, and to analyze the consequences of those practices for contemporary ethical theories. She gave a particularly interesting discussion of the difficult practice of infanticide, and showed both sensitivity and detachment when discussing its ethical consequences. Her overall intelligence is also reflected in her grades for the course, which were by far the best in the class.
Jane has excellent communication skills. Her written work is both clear and concise, as well as interesting to read. She demonstrated her oral articulateness in the discussion sections that were an integral part of the course. Each discussion section focused on a particular ethical dilemma. Students were required analyze morally problematic situations, and to develop and argue for their own ethical views with regard to the issue in question. Jane was highly proficient in applying the course material in analyzing the problem situations. She always explained her views very concisely and gave supporting arguments that were both clear and persuasive. Jane also demonstrated good teamwork skills in group assignments.
At a personal level, Jane is a well disciplined, industrious student with a pleasant personality. She went well beyond the course requirements in the quantity and quality of her project, putting in a lot of extra research and attending office hours every week. Throughout the course, Jane demonstrated great perseverance and initiative. Not only was she interested in and motivated to learn the material, but she also put great work into assimilating it to her own experience and developing her own ideas about each ethical topic that we discussed.
Jane is unquestionably an exceptional candidate for graduate study in Ethics. Jane’s work in Philosophy 111 suggests that she would greatly benefit from the opportunities for intellectual development provided by a sustained period of graduate study. She has proven herself to have the perseverance, initiative, and intellectual creativity necessary to complete an advanced graduate degree. I would therefore highly recommend Jane Doe. If her performance in my class is a good indication of how she would perform as a graduate student, she would be an extremely positive asset to your program.
If I can be of any further assistance, or provide you with any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
[sender’s signature]
[sender’s name and title]
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最後請大家注意，推薦信對你申請起到的幫助往往是200%（牛推，熟人推，人脈推等）或者介於5%-0%之間（對你沒看錯，大部分時候都是不高於5%！作用基本不大！），市面上一些無良中介竟然還推出了n萬元買推薦信的行為！簡直。。。！請大家想一想，一個和你毫無關係的大牛，你能花幾萬塊錢讓他親自給你寫推薦信嗎！？畢竟人家一封推薦信，很有可能就是一份百萬全獎offer啊！
所以要想有一份特別作用大的推薦信，那麼大家可以最好是去和大牛推薦人混臉熟！！！下次我們找機會談談如何去混臉熟！
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