Requesting a letter of recommendation/Reference letter
Krista is happy to provide reference letters for lab members including post-docs, graduate students, paid research assistants, honours/specialization/project students, and volunteers who have fulfilled their 1-year commitment to the lab (others will be considered on a case-by-case basis). In some cases, she is also able to write letters for students who have been in their class, if they have had strong performance (usually A-range). If you ask her for a letter, she will usually respond yes enthusiastically if she is able to write you a strong letter. If she is not able to write you a strong letter, she will likely communicate this directly, by asking whether there are other letter-writers who might be able to provide a stronger letter.
If it is your first time asking for a letter, please do so at least 1 month in advance of the first deadline. Many letters are due in the fall, and so it is a busy time. If she has previously written a letter for you, 2 weeks notice will usually do, although in all cases more time is better.
If you are an undergraduate, it is a good idea to make an appointment via kristabh.youcanbook.me to discuss your career goals, so that she can address this directly in the letter (i.e., comment on your enthusiasm and suitability for becoming a graduate student/clinical psychologist/social worker/physician/speech language pathologist/professor/astronaut). You can ask for your letter either at this meeting, or in an e-mail beforehand while also mentioning that you’ve booked a meeting to discuss it further with her.
Once she has agreed to write you a letter, she will need the following documents, ideally as attachments in a single e-mail:
Your current CV. Ideally, you will have already attended a lab “CV smackdown” so that this is in good shape.
Your unofficial Concordia transcript.
A document/table of places where you need letters. This should include columns:
Where you are applying (which school/department/program/funding agency/fellowship program)
When the letter is due
How the letter should be submitted. Many programs send letter writers a link to an online form, and if so indicate this. Other programs ask for an e-mail to a specific address. More occasionally, a physical copy will need to be sent via mail. You may have heard the advice to give your referees pre-addressed, stamped envelopes. You’ll welcome to do this, but it’s not necessary.
Any other details that might be relevant.
For undergraduates only, please create a document (not in the body of the e-mail) reminding Krista of anecdotes or examples that she could use in her letter. What research projects did you work on and what contributions did you make? Did you give any poster presentations, research talks, or co-author any papers? Did you show leadership in the lab in a specific way ? Did you handle a situation particularly well, for example a parent showing up unexpectedly? Did you create a resource such as a how-to guide or documentation? Did you ask a good question during lab meeting/class? Did you do particularly well on a paper/assignment in class?
Keep in mind that Krista prefers to sit down and do all of your letters at once if possible, so ideally you should have everything ready on application portals so you can send everything in one batch. Many of these portals have referee questions that take quite a bit of time to answer (it’s not as simple as uploading a generic letter). Some portals will not allow requests to be sent to referees before applicants complete their own portions.
Reference Letters FAQ:
Q: Can graduate students write a reference letter?
A: If you have been working closely with a graduate student or post-doc, the best option is for the graduate student to co-write and co-sign the letter with Krista. Letters coming directly from graduate students are post-docs are not viewed strongly in an academic context, unless you know that individual from outside the lab, for example you took a course from them. Similarly, if a graduate student was your TA, you should request the letter from the course instructor, which the TA could potentially help to write.
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