推荐信是为了帮助录取学校对于申请者的潜力有个better picture of your potentials. 在东欧以及中国，很多时候都是你自己写推荐信，而The professor will, in this case, only proof-read and sign the text.

一般来说，你找的推荐人应该familiar with your skills or activity，一般应该推荐人尽可能多的时间去写作。你可以和推荐人简单谈谈或者总结一些你认为符合推荐表要求的东西。A small talk when you are handing the recommendation forms or a printed summary of all that accompanies the forms can help to this respect，这样推荐人可以给你一些溢美之词write in warm terms. 有人认为推荐信应该在用词夸大一些（somewhat bombastic in vocabulary.）

注意有的学校是要求推荐信封口（signed by the professor over the lid）后和其它申请资料一块邮寄，有的则是希望推荐人单独邮寄，这个时候你最好准备好信封和邮票以及地址。Some universities prefer to receive the recommendation letters together with the rest of the application, while some would rather get them separately, sent directly by the professor who recommends you. 为了增强可信性，当你把推荐信和其它资料一块邮寄的时候，建议你请求推荐人用签名或者/以及印章a signature and/or an official seal

推荐信开始写出以下信息：姓名、职称、推荐人的姓名、认识多久了、什么场合认识的，总之要给人觉得推荐人和申请者很熟悉。（A recommendation letter ideally starts by stating the name of the professor who writes the letter and his/her title, together with the name of the student for whom the letter is written. The professor should also state since when has s/he known the students: year, class or other activity.）

在接下来的三到四段里，要分别谈谈申请人的能力（The assessment of the student’s capabilities should be made from a multiple point of view over the next 3-4 paragraphs. ）要包括申请者的knowledge, interests and capabilities, activities and results, work capacity, etc. 从个人角度而言，还要评价申请者的personal characteristics, social skills, his or her relations with the students and professors. 需要特别注意的是，最好结合申请者的专业，强调以下申请者具备了某些技能Especially those skills relevant for the desired program should be outlined throughout the paper.

最后一段就是总结申请者的能力。

另外一种推荐信就是要求推荐人填写表格，回答一些关于技能和资质的问题。Some of the graduate study programs supply you with forms for the recommendation letters that ask the professor to ask a number of specific questions about your skills and qualifications.有时候规定很严格，包括需要写几行（ Sometimes, space for the answer is allowed after each question, and there is where the answers should be written, rather than on a separate sheet of paper）.

不要忘记提供写信日期和申请的项目名称，正文中应该写出全称。The name of the program you are applying for should come out explicitly in the body of the text, in order to make clear that the letter has been written for that occasion. 不过在我们的实际服务中，发现很多客户都是含糊以下，而群发给很多学校。