ESP Reference Guidelines
To Applicants
Only applicants who have been away from studies for 3 or more years may request that their references write a letter instead of using our formal Reference Form.
You may ask an employer or community reference to complete a letter using these guidelines if you are unable to find a teacher.
Please direct your referee to this page for the guidelines. Have questions? Send us an email, esp@carleton.ca.
To the Referee
Please write a letter/email at least one page in length, using the guidelines below and email it to esp@carleton.ca.
All letters will be kept confidential.
Guidelines for Letter
Please identify the applicant, the capacity in which you came to know them, and the length of your acquaintance.
Include an assessment of the applicant鈥檚 personal qualifications and suitability for university study.
Any information you can provide regarding the following areas would be helpful:
- communication skills (written and/or oral)
- willingness to take initiative
- level of motivation
- planning and organizational skills
- flexibility and adaptability
- willingness to accept responsibility
- leadership, analytical, problem-solving ability
- interpersonal skills, group interaction and teamwork skills.
Please provide examples of the qualities you describe.
What are the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses? Have they made efforts to address areas of concern?