Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Requesting a Letter of Recommendation

I am happy to write letters of recommendation for students and former students who have impressed me with their intellect, creativity, motivation, leadership, or ability to surmount challenges.

Writing a good letter of recommendation takes some time—time for reflection on the student being recommended, time for a bit of research to refresh my memory of grades earned and/or assignments submitted, time for drafting and revising—so I require at least two weeks notice for writing letters of recommendation.

In addition to at least two weeks notice, I will need the following from you:

  1. Any official form the organization I am recommending you to wants recommenders to complete.
  2. The deadline by which the letter is due.
  3. The address the letter should be sent to.
  4. A copy of your personal essay (if you are applying to a college or for a scholarship). I like to be able to emphasize something you’ve said in your essay in my letter.
  5. Your resume, if you have one. I like to be able to refer to items in your resume if I can.
  6. Information, in writing, about what you plan to major in, what your career goals are, and why you are applying to the college or job or whatever that you want me to recommend you for.

Please give me all of these items at once, if possible, paperclipped together or in a manila folder or attached to the same email.

I will put your letter on RRCC letterhead in a RRCC envelope and will send it via RRCC mail (unless the college/scholarship organization wants the letter in another format), so you do not need to provide envelopes or stamps.

And finally, do let me know if you were accepted to the college or were awarded the scholarship or got the job!

Fall 2007 Classes

ENG 121: Composition I (section 010—M/W 11-12:15 and section H01 (Honors)—M/W 2:30-3:45)
This class will focus on seeing the multiple possibilities within a piece of writing. The course emphasizes planning, writing, and revising compositions and shaping them for different audiences. We will explore writing topics from different perspectives or angles (what if you wrote about your spring break from your parents’ point of view, for example? Or from the perspective of the stranger on the beach who looked at you funny that one day?) Our classroom will function as a kind of laboratory or studio where class members will engage in writing and learn not only by doing but also by watching others and critiquing their progress.

ENG 122: Composition II (section 005—T/R 9:30-10:45 and section 007—T/R 11-12:15)
This course focuses on how to find, evaluate, and use sources from the Internet, the library, and beyond. Students will not write a conventional research paper; instead, they will write in a variety of different genres, from a variety of different perspectives, using a variety of different techniques. Students will learn how to manage a large research project, how to take risks in their writing, and how to defend their research and writing choices.

LIT 145: Literature, Women, & Society (section 001—T/R 1-2:15)
This class will explore how women and their unique concerns are represented in fiction, poetry, drama, and film; whether there is a female literary tradition; and whether or how gender makes a difference in literature production and consumption.


Fall classes begin August 27.
Register early and often. Tell your friends. Questions? Contact Liz Kleinfeld at liz.kleinfeld@rrcc.edu.