[ljw4715]

Hello everyone,

I was just wondering what goes into a good academic reference? I mean aren't most professors going to say "you are the best student they've ever had?"

what backs it up?

(Currently I have two people in mind for my letters of reference to masters in finance programs at the UK schools.

1 - Senior Honors Thesis Adviser - took an advance course with this professor and he advised me on my honors thesis.

2 - Valuations professor - took a one year course with him, teaches it very much like an MBA/graduate level class. Also he is my adviser for a fund management experience by which selected students are chosen to managed a part of the university's real life funds. I was 1 of 10 selected students this past year, and is considered one of the most highly regard experiences at my university.

are these good candidates to seek reference letters from?


Second, what makes a personal statement good versus great?

Thank you and any insights would be appreciated!

[Econla]

which course are you applying for?

[sj27]

(Original post by ljw4715)
Hello everyone,

I was just wondering what goes into a good academic reference? I mean aren't most professors going to say "you are the best student they've ever had?"

No, they're not. And for the majority of universities, references are submitted directly to the university without the student getting sight of it, which allows them to be completely honest. Good grades are obviously a starting point, and enthusiasm for the subject and aptitude for research will be important for postgrad applications.

The people you've mentioned sound like good choices for referees to me.

[ljw4715]

(Original post by Econla)
which course are you applying for?

I am applying for LSE Finance & PE, LSE Management & Strategy, MPhil Finance Cambridge

[finance]

(Original post by ljw4715)
Hello everyone,

I was just wondering what goes into a good academic reference? I mean aren't most professors going to say "you are the best student they've ever had?"

what backs it up?

(Currently I have two people in mind for my letters of reference to masters in finance programs at the UK schools.

1 - Senior Honors Thesis Adviser - took an advance course with this professor and he advised me on my honors thesis.

2 - Valuations professor - took a one year course with him, teaches it very much like an MBA/graduate level class. Also he is my adviser for a fund management experience by which selected students are chosen to managed a part of the university's real life funds. I was 1 of 10 selected students this past year, and is considered one of the most highly regard experiences at my university.

are these good candidates to seek reference letters from?


Second, what makes a personal statement good versus great?

Thank you and any insights would be appreciated!

In general, you want both (lor and ps) to be unique.

At top schools, letters stating that the student is "excellent" or "best student in the class" are not only bad, but often thrown out. The fact that you are applying to top schools (and that you are above the GPA requirements for those programmes) implies that you're a great student. It's a alright for your recommender to mention how great of a student you are for a sentence or two, but the rest of the page (or two..) should be filled with details about the interactions between you two (for example research).

For personal statements, you should follow a similar rubric -- stay away from the obvious, and let your resume speak for itself. Use the ps to explain why this specific program is perfect for you, and why you are choosing it over hundreds of other options (and jobs!).

Hope this helps!

[Ghost6]

(Original post by finance)
In general, you want both (lor and ps) to be unique.

At top schools, letters stating that the student is "excellent" or "best student in the class" are not only bad, but often thrown out. The fact that you are applying to top schools (and that you are above the GPA requirements for those programmes) implies that you're a great student. It's a alright for your recommender to mention how great of a student you are for a sentence or two, but the rest of the page (or two..) should be filled with details about the interactions between you two (for example research).

For personal statements, you should follow a similar rubric -- stay away from the obvious, and let your resume speak for itself. Use the ps to explain why this specific program is perfect for you, and why you are choosing it over hundreds of other options (and jobs!).

Hope this helps!

This is complete bull****. Most references letters aren't nearly as long as two pages. I got to see my references letters for Cambridge and both of them were about half a page long only and this is the standard length. It is also wrong that it should be filled with details about your relationship with the letter writer. It should be mentioned of course to give weight to the letter, but the core of the letter should be about how well your undergrad or previous grad experience will allow you to successfully complete the degree you are applying for and explain from her point of view how the degree you are applying to matches your abilities and interests. Your comment about "throw out" letters mentioning excellent applicants is complete nonsense. Also, the statement of purpose is in most cases not nearly as important as you think it is, especially for a taught M.S. degree.

[finance]

Well, I suppose we can agree to disagree. I do agree with some of your points, but I also read my letters, and a small portion of them talked about how great of a student I was, even though I have taken several courses with these professors and got the highest grades in all of them. Also, most of my letters were well over a page. So perhaps I should have stated that this was simply my experience, and might not be a representative sample. I did get into the MPhil in Finance, so I assumed they really liked my lors and ps.

By the way, if you're starting at Cambridge next year keep in touch!

[Econla]

LORs need to be concise and believable. Try with some prof that you know he saw something different on you.......I don't know, it could be perseverance, inquisitive, the student always went further than the assigned.........etc etc