Reference letter requests

I am honoured when students ask me to write letters of recommendation, and I am committed to writing thoughtful, detailed letters for students whose work I know well. Because I believe strong letters are grounded in sustained academic or research experience, I am only able to provide references for students I can evaluate in depth.

I am generally able to provide letters for:

• Graduate students I supervise or mentor.
• Honours thesis students.
• Students who have worked in my research lab for an extended period and made substantial contributions.
• Occasionally, students know well enough to write a detailed, personalized, and meaningful letter of recommendation.

I am generally not able to provide letters based solely on:

• Taking one of my courses.
• Brief volunteer or research assistant experiences.
• Limited interactions that occurred several years ago.

Although I greatly enjoy teaching my mindfulness course (Psych 417), its experiential nature does not typically allow me to evaluate many of the qualities that graduate programs and scholarship committees seek in reference letters (e.g., research ability, academic writing, critical thinking, independence). Students applying to graduate or professional programs are therefore usually better served by referees who have supervised their research or evaluated more substantial academic work.

If I do not feel I know you well enough to write a strong and specific letter, I will likely encourage you to seek a referee who can provide a more meaningful recommendation.

Requesting a Letter

If you believe your experience with me fits the criteria above, please email me well in advance of your earliest application deadline (ideally at least four weeks). I will let you know whether I am able to provide a reference.

If I agree to write a letter, I will then ask you to complete my reference information form (see below) and provide the supporting materials needed to prepare your letters.

Please note that, due to research, teaching, and service commitments, I may occasionally need to decline otherwise appropriate requests if I am unable to devote the time needed to write a strong, personalized letter. My priority is to ensure that every letter I write is detailed, thoughtful, and genuinely helpful in supporting a student's application.

Thank you for your understanding.