Sarah Mayes-Tang

Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto

Who do I write letters for?

Because I teach large classes and help train instructors and Teaching Assistants, I receive far more requests to write letters of recommendation than I can possibly accommodate in my work schedule. This means that I have to be very selective in the letters that I write. I reserve most of my letter writing time for Teaching Assistants and Instructors who have worked with me. Two general guidelines that apply to all letters:

• In order to manage my workload, I usually require requests at least 6 weeks before your earliest deadline.
• I only submit confidential letters; that is, I will not email you the letter to distribute to others.

To students to whom I taught first-year calculus

I rarely write letters for first-year calculus students.

If I were to write you a reference letter, all I would be able to say about you now is basically your grades and how they compared to others in your first-year class. I wouldn’t be able to add very much to your application. In reference letters, grad schools are looking for added information from professors. That’s why they look for letters that are either recent or that are more personal.

First Recent: Where are you now in your academic journey? What can you do that makes you ready for grad school now? As your first year calc prof I can say that you had promise for your undergrad courses, but I cannot speak as directly to grad school.

If I agreed to write you a letter I know I would be doing you a disservice. You have an impressive academic history, so I know that there are several other professors who would be much better letter writers than me. I hope that this email helps you think of some other possible letter writers. If you want to run some possible writers by me, please feel free to email me back.

To students to whom I taught an upper-year class

I can only write a small number of these letter. I regret that I am not able to write letters for all of the excellent students that I teach.

There are three important factors that go into my decision about whether to write a letter:

• Do I have time to dedicate to a letter? A typical letter takes me at least an hour to write.
• Does the student possess the attributes necessary to recommend them to the school or employer
• Do I have personal experience with the student that can speak to that speak to the attributes that an organization is looking for in an employee or student? That is, can I give extra information about this student that is not evident on the transcript?

I usually do describe some of the things that you have done in the course as well, but my letter also needs to include personal real-life (virtual or in-person!) contact with you.

To former TAs and Instructors

As noted above, I prioritize letters for TAs and instructors who have worked in my courses in the past. But the same principles apply: I should be able to describe how I know you possess a characteristic, not just that you do. My letter is often the 'Teaching Letter' in a graduate school portfolio.

Recommendations that Don't Require a Letter

• If you only require a reference where they may phone me, email me with a request and any information I might need (including things that you are hoping I can speak to). I am usually able to do these for students who attended office hours regularly or Instructors / TAs I worked with.
• If you require a form be filled out, you should email me with details about the form. If it is for graduate school, I will ask you to do the same thing as a letter of recommendation.
• If you need a recommendation but aren't sure what is needed from me, please find out for me.

How Do I Request a Letter?

Email me (you don't need to say much in the email other than a request - don't worry about flattering me!)

Fill-out this form

Please wait 2 weeks for a response. I'm often slow getting back on these because I have to consider them carefully.

If I say No, please know that I regret needing to do this... I truly wish that I could say 'yes', but I cannot always be "everything for everyone". Also, if I accepted all requests I would end up writing bad letters for everyone, and I aim to write personalized, high quality letters for every student and colleague.