Dear Admissions Committee, I am honored to recommend Ms. Xiao Xiao for your graduate program in electrical engineering. I came to know Ms. Xiao in March of 2000 when she enrolled in my class on dielectric physics in the Electrical Engineering Department at ABC University. With an enchanting demeanor, inquisitive nature, and solid academic performance, Ms. Xiao quickly became one of my most outstanding students. She stayed after class each day to discuss with me complex topics I had brought up during lecture. Though I tried to challenge all my students to go beyond the scope of the class, Ms. Xiao was the only one who displayed a genuine dedication to enhancing her own knowledge of dielectric physics and other related topics. During our discussions, Ms. Xiao expressed her desire to attend a graduate program in electrical engineering and how she plans to use that intense educational experience to advance in a professional, scientifically-oriented career. Ms. Xiao earned a final grade of 80%, one of the highest scores in the entire class. Having witnessed such a strong classroom performance, I know that Ms. Xiao is well prepared to study at your prestigious university. Because of her impressive academic work and honorable character, I am please to give Ms. Xiao Xiao my highest recommendation for your esteemed graduate program in electrical engineering. Sincerely, Professor NAME Department of Electrical Engineering, ABC University Dear Admissions Committee, As Director of the State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation at ABC University in BLANK, China, it is my sincere and distinct pleasure to recommend Ms. Xiao Xiao for your graduate program in BLANK. I have known Ms. Xiao since 2001, when she was one of eighty students who completed their undergraduate thesis projects in my BLANK laboratory. Ms. Juans enthusiasm for and diligence in learning helped her become one of the most outstanding students in the entire group, making a strong, positive impression upon me. Ms. Xiao is a very driven woman and student who knows what she wants to accomplish and does not falter in her chosen path. Her intellectual curiosity and 1
desire to acquire new acknowledge continuously have led her to perform much study on her own outside the scope of her classes and research work; oftentimes, I witnessed her consulting scientific books and journals to help her discover how she could improve her knowledge and her work in the laboratory. Countless times, Ms. Xiao remained in the laboratory for more than twelve hours in a row to complete her work and make sure there were no errors. With such devotion and fortitude, Ms. Xiao did not surprise me with her superior performance on her thesis paper. In terms of her character, Ms. Xiao is an amiable, courteous, and helpful young woman who has many friends amongst our laboratory personnel. Ms. Xiao is ready to move on to a more rigorous program of graduate study. Her academic performance, research work, and upstanding personal character have won her my highest recommendation, and I hope you give her application strong consideration. Thank you. Sincerely, NAME Director State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation, ABC University Dear Admissions Committee, It is my great pleasure to recommend Mr. Xiaofeng Wang for the [graduate study program] at MIT University. As his research advisor, I have had close contact with Mr. Wang since October 1998. In my opinion, he is the best undergraduate I have ever met, surpassing even our doctoral candidates. Because of an extraordinarily outstanding performance, Mr. Wang completed a four-year course study in three years. During his fourth year, he became the sole undergraduate in my laboratory, which specializes in broadband communication research. Initial reservations about his competency in research projects normally assigned to Master’s or Doctoral students rapidly dissipated when I discovered his brilliant and thorough investigative nature. His clear, quick grasp of the concepts and strong capacity for analytical thinking greatly impressed me. With genuine creativity and remarkable insight, Mr. Wang often diligently completed a week’s worth of work in two or three days, sometimes working for several days without leaving the lab and sleeping on the couch when tired. He routinely exchanges ideas and discusses 2
problems with me, and exhibits a cooperative spirit with the engineers in the group. I have faith that the patience, persistence, and strong sense of responsibility that he has demonstrated in his work will underlie his advanced academic endeavors, as well. Since February 1999, Mr. Wang has conducted research in high-speed routers, specifically responsible for the hardware design of a new type router. In this project, he adapted Intel’s IXP1200 Network Processor and T1’s TMS320C6202 to realize the routing function of IP packets - a uniquely innovative concept. He tackled problems and incorporated improvements with a novel approach and careful consideration to all details, even those that many regarded as boring or trivial duties. Before leaving the lab, Mr. Wang nearly finished the router¡¯s hardware design, with great patience and meticulousness. This kind of router can be configured to interconnect with inter-business LAN via ISDN, DDN, frame relay, or X.25, and is widely used in network banks and centralized control. Mr. Wang possesses the easy-going temperament that will enable him to adapt to a long term of overseas study. He is polite, modest, honest, and magnanimous. His athletic ability and interest in playing musical instruments have further cultivated a mature personality and optimistic attitude. I have recommended quite a few excellent students for overseas graduate study programs, and know all are quite outstanding in their various institutions. In my opinion, Mr. Wang’s talent, creativity, perseverance, and academic ability are truly exceptional, even when comparing him to my previous students. He is well prepared for graduate study at MIT, and the theoretical foundation and experimental training our institution has provided for him will ensure his success in conducting outstanding research in your department. I strongly recommend Mr. Xiaofeng Wang for the MIT graduate program of study, and appreciate your favorable consideration of his application. Yours truly, NAME POSITION NAME OF UNIVERSITY Dear Admissions Committee: Having worked with Mr. Xiao Xiao for three years at ABC Technology, I am very 3
glad to recommend him for [WHAT PROGRAM? WHERE?] As his supervisor, I have enjoyed a close acquaintance with him and, frankly speaking, Mr. Xiao is one of most excellent researchers that I have ever seen. It is not easy for a new graduate to get into our company, the largest telecommunications company in Asia. We were immediately impressed, though, by Mr. Xiao’s exceptionally outstanding performance in university. As an undergraduate, he was invited to enter our company at the master’s-degree salary level, and that confidence was rewarded with his very creative and knowledgeable mind. Though there are many master’s or doctoral candidates in my team, Mr. Xiao’s performance has been the best of all. Alone among all his teammates, he earned straight As during his probationary period. Mr. Xiao’s first engagement was in the Data Communication R&D department at ABC Technology, where he worked on the BAS(Broadband Access Server) design used in HSR(High-speed Switch Route). He was in charge of the ATM Access of FR(Frame Relay) and independently designed a system providing eight channels of FR input interfaces. The system will encapsulate the frames into AAL5 cells, and connect to HSR after being combined with other access units(e.g. DDN, LAN Emulation, PSDN ). Mr. Xiao proved to be a very diligent person, often working for several days without leaving the lab and sleeping on the couch when tired. As a result, In just four months he realized the access of Frame Relay from LAN to ATM cell with the optional bandwidth and priority packages. Now, our HSR has provided for multiple countries, as Thailand, Laos, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Algeria, etc. In China, this product has a market share of more than 70% in this product field, bringing huge profits to our company. In January 2000, Mr. Xiao began work in wireless telecommunication, focused on the base station(NodeB) research in 3G WCDMA. NodeB is responsible for the mobility of user terminals at the access layer, supporting various services such as multimedia and voice or data. Thanks to his solid track record in the development process, he earned a promotion to team manager in September 2000 leading the MPU(Main Processor Unit) team. The MPU, based on the ATM switch platform, will encapsulate the control plane information into AAL5 cells as well as the user plane message into AAL2 cells. Finally, these ATM cells will be sent to RNC(Radio Network controller) by IMA(Inverse Multiplexing For ATM) channel. The performance of this new product can match those in MOTOROLA, NOKIA, NEC, and NORTEL, but it is much cheaper. This design is a very successful product of our company, and, in leading their development, Mr. Xiao demonstrated 4
great patience, persistence, and a strong sense of responsibility. In 2001, Mr. Xiao earned the honor of "outstanding team leader" in our company through a highly competitive election that honors only two percent of team managers. During his three years here, Mr. Xiao has shown great talent in creation and invention. As an acknowledged expert in embedded operating systems, he has got four patents for ABC Technology, all of which are widely applied in hardware design and algorithms. Mr. Xiao is also known as the top expert in Verilog and VHDL at the Shanghai R&D center. He is the youngest department manager in Shanghai R&D Center, and his creativity, intelligence, and diligence made him more capable than most doctors. I truly regret letting such an excellent member go, but I am willing to make this recommendation to help such a vigorous and promising young man develop his potential fully. For any more information, please feel free to contact me. Yours truly, NAME TITLE NAME OF COMPANY OR UNIVERSITY As Mr. [NAME]’s supervisor for two years, it is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation requesting that he be accepted into your graduate program. Mr. [NAME] and I work for Sanvuan Bioengineering Company in Beijing, China’s capital. In the company, Mr.[NAME] has always been an inspiring source of help and support for others and me. Conscientious and diligent, he has contributed more than his share to this company’s productive and highly valued research. After joining our company, he was accepted into a very strict training program within the company. In the process he mastered several of the latest techniques including NMR and displayed an impressive capability in grasping specialized knowledge. He applied professional principles to the solutions of practical problems and received great satisfaction from his new achievements. Half a year later, he began to do independent research in relatively minor projects. One year later, as my most capable assistant, he took charge of some large research projects. [IT WOULD BE IMPRESSIVE TO NAME AT LEAST ONE PROJECT.] Several conclusions derived from his research formed the basis for a number of the company’s important products. [NAME ONE.]
5
As to his personal character, he is polite, generous, cooperative and optimistic. He has achieved success through his hard work and I recommended him for a higher position within our company. While I regret that he told me he was preparing to study abroad and would be leaving the company, I feel obligated to encourage and support his efforts. I believe that your program offers the perfect environment for Mr. [NAME] to realize his dream and I recommend him without reservation. I am the Associate Head of the Department of xx, writing to recommend Mr. [NAME] for admission to your Ph.D. Program in [NAME SPECIFIC PROGRAM.]. I met Mr.[NAME] initially in 1995 when he entered our department with the highest score in his class. I taught him biochemistry and had the opportunity to observe his undergraduate performance. Independent and intelligent, he exhibited exquisite analytical skills in his coursework, excelled in his studies, and earned a very high class rank. Impressed by his serious attitude and diligence, solid academic foundation and powerful aptitude for hands-on experiments, he participated in my project XYZ. In some experiments, he tendered many insightful suggestions that occasionally indicated some immaturity. He would continue experimenting with his particular idea until he could confidently show me some scintillating points. In 1999, he began his degree thesis under my guidance. Because of the necessity of his work, he studied many graduate courses in biochemistry on his own and did some useful research on the structure and function of proteins. All of these activities indicate a person capable of successful graduate study. He is goal oriented and determined in pursuing his chosen strategies. In 1999, he declined the department¡¯s offer of admission into the graduate program with a waiver for the normal entrance examination. He decided to join a company to sharpen his practical skills and gain first hand experience. I appreciate his plan to further his career by studying with you. I have full confidence in his intellectual caliber and technical skills and I strongly support his application
6
Dear Admissions Committee, It is my pleasure to recommend Mr. Xiao Xiao for your MSC program in International Business. As Vice-General Manager of Hong Kong ABC Holdings and Mr. Xiao¡¯s immediate supervisor, I have known Xiao since 2000 when he joined our company, which focuses on real estate development, international trade, and global business affairs. After beginning as a market researcher in ABC’s market development department, Xiao was promoted to assistant to the ViceGeneral Manager. Working so closely with Pan, I have seen firsthand his conscientious and diligent work habits, as well as his focused ambition. Xiao has made significant contributions to numerous company projects and initiatives, making him one of our most valued employees. In June of 2001, I sent Xiao to CCC, a city in China’s CCC province, to take charge of one of ABC’s largest and most important projects, the "CCC Square Project." Because of a lack of experience in selecting a suitable location and poor marketing management, the company had to delay its sales launch. To ameliorate this major dilemma, Xiao employed meticulous organization and a creative approach, collecting all relevant information from local government agencies. He then assessed the project’s viability by considering its cultural and entertainment value, ability to host sporting events, and quality of general facilities. After much detailed analysis, Xiao developed a an action-oriented plan, as well as a precise, itemized report. His analysis helped corporate executives assess the profit potential of the project under revised circumstances and led to a successful sales launch. Mr. Xiao is a very bright individual and quick learner, teaching himself the principles of international trade and marking, as well as absorbing general business strategies from his senior colleagues across several departments. Xiao excelled so quickly upon first arriving at ABC that he was placed on several challenging international business projects, including a consulting project examining the oil trade for a company in Australia. He volunteered for projects with courage, performed his analyses with diligence, and completed his reports with a unique and engaging style. Since I have known him, I have been able to count on Xiao to complete any assignment I give him in an unparalleled fashion, far surpassing my requirements and expectations. Pan’s success can also be attributed to his effective interpersonal skills. Confident about himself and optimistic for the future, Xiao has always represented ABC impeccably to both our clients and competitors. Because he can easily win the trust 7
and support of his audience, including people who know little about him, Xiao is usually a key speaker during our frequent business meetings. Every person who has ever worked with Xiao thinks of him with fond memories, making him one of the most popular employees around the office. Such warm and welcome personal qualities will serve as important assets as Xiao excels in his future professional career. Right before Xiao informed me that he was planning to pursue graduate studies abroad, I intended to promote him to a higher position within the company. Though I regret that I will lose such a valued employee and friend, I believe Xiao needs graduate study to achieve his professional ambitions. Xiao will utilize the practical experiences he has accumulated over the past two years as he engages in sophisticated theoretical discussions with fellow global business professionals in graduate school. By listening to and sharing perspectives with his fellow students, Xiao will gain the ability to make quick, yet well-informed management decisions. By utilizing your school as an educational institution and reservoir of established, professional and personal successes, Xiao will improve his ability to challenge his professional goals, while building lasting friendships. With his extensive professional experience, amiable character, and desire to succeed, Mr. Xiao Xiao is well poised to succeed in your challenging program. I give Xiao my highest recommendation and hope you will consider his candidacy strongly. Sincerely, NAME Vice-General Manager, Hong Kong ABC Holdings Dear Colleague: I am writing to express my full support for Xiao Xiao, who is applying to graduate school at [name of school]. Though I am currently a visiting scholar at the University of California, San Diego, I was Xiao’s supervisor at the VVV University School of Architecture and Civil Engineering. In my [number] years in academia, Xiao stands out as one of the best students I’ve encountered. As the professor in charge of VVV’s student union, I spent several years supervising and working closely with Pan, who served as the union’s chairperson and monitor. Pan’s work included managing the routine affairs of his class of 76 8
students and planning many student activities. Consequently, through our close contact, I gained a thorough understanding of and respect for Pan’s character, his strong organizational skills, and his leadership ability. For example, in fall 1997, Xiao organized an evening party for incoming freshmen. I still vividly remember the party’s resounding success, as well as Pan’s unswerving attention to details. Dedication and passion are hallmarks of Pan’s character. Although the work he did as a student leader was time-consuming and tiring, he never complained. He simply embraced his responsibilities, and enjoyed the tasks at hand. Students acknowledged his devotion to his classmates repeatedly: For four years in a row, the student body elected him monitor and chairperson. Xiao felt great warmth not only for his classmates, but also for society at large. A representative example of Pan’s community involvement was in summer 1998. Xiao was the general organizer in charge of our school’s performance in the large Festival of Art at our university. At that time, our school faced significant obstacles, including a lack of funding and insufficient staff. However, Pan’s deft planning and hard work allowed the school to overcome all these difficulties. Xiao drew on the collective wisdom of his advisors and came up with successful fund raising ideas. He also consistently motivated students to show up for rehearsals. As a direct result of Pan’s efforts, our school won six championships among the seven festival events. Furthermore, our school’s overall score put us at first place, and we won the team title! This was the best score in our school’s history. Noting Pan’s remarkable effort, both the university and our school proudly gave him the Outstanding Leader award. I have always felt that this kind, charismatic, and intelligent young man would deserves a bright future. I strongly believe Xiao will bring genuine enthusiasm to his studies; he will greatly benefit from and strongly contribute to any subject he chooses to research. I offer my highest recommendation of Xiao Xiao for graduate study at your university. Sincerely,
9
