Advice for letters of recommendation

Dear letter writers,

Thank you for taking the time to write a thoughtful letter of recommendation. When constructing your letter, please consider the following points as these points will be used when making our admissions decisions.

It is important that the goals, abilities, and characteristics of the applicant are in alignment with the strengths of our department.
A frank assessment, from a professor who knows the applicant well, is our best source of information.
The letter should be written by someone familiar with the applicant's mathematics/mathematical abilities and should focus on this.

It would be helpful to us if you would address as many of the following points as you can.

How long, how well, and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
How would you rank the applicant's mathematical abilities in comparison with other students you have taught?
Does the applicant have the motivation and ability to complete a Ph.D.?
Is the applicant mature and emotionally stable?
How well-developed are the applicant's teaching, tutoring, and computing skills?
How well does the applicant get along with peers and with faculty?
Is the applicant a person of integrity?
Overall we would like to get a sense of the applicant's "trajectory". How have they developed over time? And how have their interests and goals changed over time?

Initial review of applications begins shortly after January 12; please submit letters by that date. Applications that become complete after that date will still be considered until we complete our recruiting.

We realize that writing these letters is a time-consuming task. Thank you for your willingness to do this. When complete, please submit your letter via the instructions you receive by email. If you have questions, please reach out to the Graduate Director.