How to write a letter of recommendation for yourself
Don’t freak out if you are asked to draft your letter of recommendation for PhD admission. It’s not that uncommon. Most faculty I know consider it in poor taste (although asking the applicant for highlights to include in a letter is totally fair game). But some faculty make this request frequently. It doesn’t mean they don’t like you; it usually means they’re busy and have potentially a dozen other letters to write. The upside is you now have an opportunity to write a letter that casts you in your best light.
If you’re worried whether anyone will be able to tell—it’s unlikely. The submitter will almost certainly read over the letter and revise it.
When to offer to write one, and when to worry
If you’re asking at the last minute (e.g., less than three effective weeks before the deadline — I would not count any week that includes Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving, or a major holiday where you are), you should offer to draft the letter. Many recommenders will refuse, but they might ask for a list of bullet points to structure their letters. The instructions below can guide you on this too.
You might have the suspicion that the recommender is asking you to draft the letter because they don’t know you all that well or don’t care about the outcome. Unfortunately, this is a risk. I advise that when selecting letter writers, it’s important to screen for people who can write a “strong” letter. If they’ve indicated any other type of resistance (e.g., by reminding you it’s important to ask people who know you well), you should seriously consider asking someone else to write for you instead.
The structure of a good letter of recommendation letter for grad school
Here’s a general guide, paragraph by paragraph:
Open by stating you are strongly recommending the applicant for a PhD position. Add a sentence or two on what makes you (the applicant) stand out. This is effectively an overview of the strengths you will describe in the letter.
Provide brief background on the letter writer, e.g., give their position, what they research and/or teach, and mention they have supervised many graduate students, if it’s true. Describe how the letter writer knows the applicant. If you’re unsure of certain details, such as how many students your recommender has mentored, you could put in “X” (and highlight it) so the letter writer can complete those portions.
Describe what the applicant did with/for the letter writer in class and/or lab. Describe ways in which this performance was exemplary. Relate this performance to attributes of applicant. If you had extensive interactions, e.g., over multiple research projects or class and research, these descriptions can be two paragraphs. Lead with facts and end with flattering interpretations (“They conceived a unique hypothesis for their final project and interpreted their results in light of three prominent, complex studies in the field, which they identified themselves. Understanding this literature required they learn Bayesian hierarchical models on their own. They included a short and insightful tutorial on these models for an in-class presentation. Their work in my class thus demonstrates unusual independence and drive.”)
Describe the applicant's goals for grad school and how their experience, performance, and character traits indicate excellent readiness. If the applicant has poor grades in some area or didn't take an important class and the letter writer can be reassuring, do it here (e.g., "This is a notoriously challenging class," "The applicant was understandably distracted by some medical issues that semester," etc.).
If appropriate, e.g., if the letter writer runs a research group, state that the letter writer would hire/work with the applicant and has no reservations. If the letter writer is at a teaching college, indicate that the applicant is among the strongest students and/or shows potential comparable to other students who have gone on to do great things. (The more specific you can be, the better.) Close by saying that colleagues should not hesitate to contact the writer with any questions.
Pro tip: Don’t try to emulate the professor’s voice, but write well. The paragraphs can be short. Avoid vague adjectives and unnecessary adverbs (“really amazing,” “quite thoughtful” etc.) because professors tend not to use them. Use facts to bolster your argument where possible, and include bottom-line assertions as well. For example, you analyzed a system of partial differential equations in your honors thesis to demonstrate the similarities between the dynamics of basketweaving and postcolonial trade strategies. You’re thus a technically adept, creative scholar.
Start the letter with “Dear colleagues:” or “Dear members of the admissions committee:”. End with “Sincerely,” and the recommender’s name.
Common pitfalls in letters of recommendation written by applicants
I have seen people try to use AI for these letters. The resulting text is usually verbose and vapid. A letter written primarily using AI will hurt you, initially by damaging your reputation with the recommender. I know faculty who have trained LLMs on their letters, but that’s different — they know what excellent letters look like and can tailor the outputs carefully.
If you are woman or URM, avoid saying you as the applicant are hard-working, conscientious, pleasant to work with, nice, organized, agreeable, articulate, etc. If you state these things, be sure there are plenty of other descriptions of your scholarship and acumen. Such emphasis on agreeableness and hard work is a standard form of discrimination that unfortunately still plagues many letters we receive, especially from certain geographic regions.
Aim for letters that are ~1.5-2 pages from anyone who knows you well (e.g., taught you for more than one class). This usually includes roughly 1/3 of a page for letterhead. At minimum, letters should fill at least one page. It is generally easier for recommenders to remove text than to add it.
Can I ask them to tailor the letters to particular programs?
Consider doing this, if, say, you want to emphasize particular types of experience or suitability for one program but not another. Such tailoring is generally not required or expected at the PhD level. (For letters of recommendation for faculty positions or postdoctoral fellowships, discussion of fit with a specific program is common.) I would then make multiple appropriately titled files in which you highlight the changed text. Try to make it easy to swap this text in and out of other letters in case the writer makes substantial changes.
Remember not to present radically different stories of yourself to different faculty or programs. I write about the pitfalls of this in my guide.
What is the admissions committee looking for?
The admissions committee and other faculty reading this letter will be looking for indications that you can work through hard problems professionally. They’ll want to know if there’s any important context, including context you might have included in your personal statement, that makes your accomplishments even more impressive, or that explains why you suddenly pivoted in your junior year from majoring in philosophy to computer science. Obviously, if the letter writer taught you only in one class, they’re not going to be able to say much about your professionalism, and that’s fine. Include factual, relevant information that the letter writer would have access to, and frame things in the best possible light.
But this hurts
If it’s painful to write so many nice things about yourself, I understand, I’ve been there too. But it’s an important habit to see that for all your shortcomings and imperfections, you’ve achieved plenty, and you have potential. The ability to see both your strengths and weaknesses will serve you well in graduate school and far beyond.
And you should congratulate yourself for writing what is perhaps your first letter of recommendation (for yourself)—it is a useful skill. In graduate school and beyond, drafting these letters can come in handy when you ask people to nominate you for an award or when you’re making a last-minute request. I even know someone who was asked to write a draft letter of recommendation for their own tenure case!
More practically, writing this letter gives you a leg up on your PhD admissions interviews. It helps you organize the evidence for your impressive achievements, so you can rattle off a focused, persuasive (i.e., evidence-based) descriptions of your past achievements that have prepared you for a PhD. I give more information on how to prepare for these interviews in my admissions guide.
What else should I give them?
When you send your draft letter, it’s helpful to attach your CV, transcript, and drafts of your personal and research statements. I would also let the recommender know you’re available to make revisions or talk about any of the contents of the draft if it would help. Remind them of the deadlines and the programs that should be contacting them. (They’ll receive automated emails.) Finally, thank them again for their time and effort in supporting you.