Recommendation File Information

Recommendation File Services at UCS can be used for Northwestern students and alumni applying to graduate school.

Dental, Law, and Medical School Applicants

Please note that the contents of your file cannot be sent to AADSAS, AMCAS, or LSDAS. You may request in writing that we send the letters directly to the school to which you are applying. Another option, if you choose, is that we can send the letters of recommendation directly to you. The letters will be sealed in a manner that will assure the institution that confidentiality has been maintained. You must still provide us with the completed request form and the self-addressed stamped envelopes.

Letters of Recommendation should be sent to:

File Services
University Career Services
620 Lincoln Street
Evanston, IL 60208

About Recommendation File Services

Northwestern students considering graduate study may establish a file with University Career Services for confidential letters of recommendation. By doing so, you assure that your letters will be available in a central location for future use. Consider asking for letters of recommendation near the end of courses in your junior and senior years so professors still remember you and the quality of your work.

UCS will make copies from the original recommendation letter(s), enclose the appropriate forms, include a statement of confidentiality and send them to the schools you designate. You must, however, provide us with self-addressed stamped envelopes.

Current Students opening a file: Recommendation Files are kept by this office for five (5) years after the date of your graduation and are then destroyed.

Alumni opening a file: Recommendation Files are kept for five (5) years after the file is established. After your file has been maintained for five (5) years, it will be destroyed.

Opening a Recommendation File

Complete and submit an access waiver

Asking for Letters of Recommendation

When requesting letters of recommendation from your sources, you should give them as much advance notice as possible. Recommendations should be printed on the stationery of the recommender's school/department, should be dated and addressed "To Whom It May Concern." No other inside address is necessary. You may want to discuss a deadline by which the letter must arrive at University Career Services. We suggest that you ask your recommender to submit their letter about one month before you want your letters mailed.

Making a Recommendation File Request

When requesting material to be sent to designated graduate school(s): Turn in completed request form (pdf) and self-addressed stamped envelope(s) to File Services. Please allow five (5) business days for processing.

Note: Please provide a hard deadline for material to be mailed or picked up. Avoid using the term "ASAP" which is not a recognized deadline.

Frequently Asked Questions About Recommendation Files Services

Whom should I ask to write letters of recommendation?

Request letters from professors, teaching assistants (co-signed by professor), University administrators or employers who know you and your work fairly well, are familiar with the kind of study you are pursuing and can evaluate your potential to succeed in an academically demanding program. For Ph.D. and other academically oriented studies, recommendations from professors are essential. Recommendations of a more personal nature from character references are generally not part of the student's file. It is helpful to give the person writing the recommendation a copy of your resume (or a comprehensive list of your activities and work experiences), a transcript and a copy of your application essay or personal statement. Having some supporting material will enable the recommender to write a more specific, thorough and meaningful letter. Remember to follow up with a thank you note to each recommender.

Where should letters of recommendation be sent?

Letters of Recommendation should be sent to:
File Services
University Career Services
620 Lincoln Street
Evanston, IL 60208

May I use letters of recommendation to apply for jobs or internships?

No. Letters of recommendation are for the sole purpose of applying to graduate school. You may not use the letter to gain employment or an internship.

How many letters should I have in my file?

Two or three letters are usually sufficient, but be sure to read each schools letter requirements. Quality counts more than quantity.

How will I know if my letters have arrived and are in my file?

It is your responsibility to check with the File Services staff to be sure that every letter of recommendation has actually been received. Even if someone says your letter has been mailed, do not assume that it has been received at File Services. You may want to leave self-addressed stamped postcards with the File Services office to be mailed back to you as each recommendation arrives for your file. (Be sure to write recommender's name on the back of each postcard.)

Why can't you send my letters to AADSAS, AMCAS, or LSDAS?

As a matter of policy, we only send files directly to the party that will use them to make a decision on the individual's candidacy. Also, when we send out a file, we are vouching for the confidentiality of the documents. When third parties are involved, we can no longer guarantee that the letters remain completely confidential by the time they are received by graduate schools.

What can I do if I am applying to dental, law, or medical school(s)?

You may request in writing that we send the letters directly to the school to which you are applying. Another option you may choose; we can send the letters of recommendation directly to you. The letters will be sealed in a manner that will assure the institution that confidentiality has been maintained. You must still provide us with the completed request form (pdf) and the self-addressed stamped envelopes.

I'm not sure exactly what I want to study. What should I do?

Advise the people writing the recommendations to make them general enough to be used in applying to a variety of programs.

How long should the letters be?

Concise letters that are one page in length are appropriate, unless a program specifically requests a lengthier, detailed account of your skills, work and accomplishments.

Can you tell me which letters are "good" and "not so good"?

No. By signing the access waiver you waive all rights to the file and are not able to view the contents there in. Try to select recommenders whose support you don't doubt. If you doubt the quality of a letter from a recommender, you shouldn't be asking him/her for it in the first place. You can ask the recommender if he/she would be able to write a positive letter of recommendation for you. If not, find someone else.

Can you designate certain letters from my file to be sent?

Yes. When you make the forwarding request, specify on the request form (pdf) which letters are to be sent to each graduate school.

What if a graduate school requires all material to be submitted together in one mailing?

You may request, in writing, that we send the recommendations directly to you. The letters of recommendation will be sealed in a manner that will assure the institution that confidentiality has been maintained. If you are picking up the letters of recommendation in person from the File Services office, addressed envelopes without postage should be provided along with a completed request form.

Is there a limit to the number of schools that I can send letters?

No. You provide the self-addressed stamped envelopes and we make copies of the letters to be sent to the graduate programs in which you designate.

What if I want transcripts put into my file?

Our office does not request nor does it have access to transcripts. To request current copies of your transcript, please visit Caesar at the registrar's website.

If sent by File Services, will my transcript count as an official transcript?

No. Transcripts are copied from the original and sent with your file. Copies are not considered official.

How long is my Recommendation File maintained?

Recommendation Files are kept by this office for five (5) years after the date of your graduation or five (5) years after the file was established. After your file has been maintained for five (5) years, it will be destroyed.