How to Approach Letters of Recommendation for your HDS Admissions Application

Elinor Bate, MTS ’27

Worried about obtaining letters from a previous professor if you are not a recent graduate? Do not necessarily panic, but do be prepared. I worked in the publishing industry for two years after graduating from a large state school in 2023. I was worried that my professors would have forgotten about me, especially considering the size of my institution and large classes. However, I found that communication was key. I emailed five professors, expressing interest in advice about graduate school. This allowed me to reconnect with my professors, reestablish our relationship, and set the scene for letter writing. Safe to say, they were incredibly supportive and proactively offered to write letters for me. 

I did consider asking my supervisor at work to write a third letter for me, and they agreed to help if I was unsuccessful in my academic asks! The key here is to remember that the best person to speak to your skills and abilities is somebody who actually knows you quite well. This will allow your letters to reflect your potential. Remember that for professors, this is quite literally part of their job. Most of the time, professors are happy to help. The key is communication, preparation, and providing recommenders with key information (resume, CV, background on the school/interests, why you want to go to graduate school, etc). Lastly, remember that professors are busy. Reminders might go a long way. Some professors will leave things until the last minute; this can be normal. Good luck! 

Janeen Green, MTS ’26

Letters of Recommendation are one of the most vital parts of an application to Harvard Divinity School as it allows members of a Graduate Admissions Committee to hear how mentors, supervisors, and professors view prospective students and their abilities. Many students tend to believe their recommenders should be individuals with a particular position title, such as the president of their undergraduate institution, or someone who is affiliated with HDS. It is important to note that the status of your recommender should not be your primary focus, but rather a recommender who can verbalize your qualities and the academic preparation you have done that makes you the perfect candidate. 

For my application, I knew that I wanted my potential recommenders to be the professors who supervised my undergraduate thesis. As HDS only requires three letters of recommendation, I was fortunate to be able to approach the four faculty members who had mentored and guided me for almost two years at my undergraduate institution. I would advise prospective students, especially those who completed a thesis, to reach out to the individuals in their lives who have given them the space to speak about their academics, future career plans, and other details. Whoever you ultimately choose to be your recommender, will be the person(s) who will capture your qualities in ways you did not know existed.

Lexi Kallaher, MTS ’26

For my recommendations, I tried to choose people who spoke to my various strengths and knew me well. I picked two professors who had taught me and knew my academic motivations for applying, and one professor I had never taken a class with, but had served as a teaching assistant for. I felt the latter spoke to my ability to facilitate a classroom setting, and the former spoke to my intellectual abilities. The most important aspect of selecting recommenders is starting early, not just in asking them (although that is definitely crucial), but also having conversations with them about why you want to attend graduate school and where you envision your future heading. In my opinion, the best recommenders have seen your discernment process and know you a bit beyond just a face or grade in a classroom.

Candice Mulinda, MTS ’27

For letters of recommendation, choose people who are well-acquainted with you and your work, and communicate with them early and (semi) often.  By the time I was applying to HDS, I had been out of college for a year and working full-time. As I started thinking through who to ask for my recommendations, I emailed a couple of professors for coffee chats to talk through my decision to apply to graduate school. After explaining my intentions for applying, I reached out to four recommenders, just in case one was not available to write. 

When three professors agreed to write for me, I sent them my résumé, a working draft of my statement of purpose, and the area of focus that I intended to apply to about 6-8 weeks before the application deadline. Whenever I had updates—for example, I switched which area of focus I intended to apply to—I reached out to let them know. Before clicking “submit” on my application, my recommenders had been with me on my application journey from beginning to end, which helped them write strong recommendations and gave me the peace of mind that they could represent my aspirations well.