Complexity Explorer Santa Few Institute

The purpose of letters of recommendation that accompany your SFI UCR application are to enable our reviewers to have a more complete understanding of what makes you a unique candidate for the program – going beyond the information your CV/résumé can provide. As such, it is important that the person you choose to write the recommendation knows something about you that extends beyond what grades you received in a course or that you showed up for a job. Your recommender should be someone with whom you've discussed your interests and goals, whether as part of a course, a job, or in another academic or professional setting. Possibilities (among many others) include:

• if you've attended office hours for a particular class and thereby discussed the course subject with a professor
• if you have held a job in which you had the opportunity to meet regularly with or have your work reviewed by your supervisor
• if you had a coach/tutor/teacher/advisor with whom you have worked closely to further your academic or extracurricular interests.

If you don't yet have such a relationship with a professor, supervisor, etc., you can use the recommendation letter as motivation for initiating a conversation.

 

The letter should not be a personal recommendation: not from a friend, family member, or someone who knows you only from social settings.

Your recommender should be able to include information about any of the following topics about you: initiative and motivation (in particular for science and research), academic qualifications, independence, communication skills, collaborative work, leadership qualities, problem-solving skills, reliability and commitment, and any other qualities they feel are relevant to the position of an undergraduate researcher.

 

In order to ensure that your recommender has enough time to compose a strong letter of support, you should ask them at least one month before the deadline (deadline: January 11, 2023) and ideally as soon as possible. Keep in mind that many people are being asked for many letters of this type during the fall and winter and that your may not be the only deadline they need to attend to. Keep in mind that your first choice may be unable to write a letter for you; leave yourself enough time to find an alternative.