Please direct all questions
about letters of recommendation to Assistant to the Senior Tutor Linda Matarazzo (matarazz@fas.harvard.edu, 617-495-2276).
Waiver for Individual Letter of
Recommendation (PDF): Fill out this form completely (both the "Release" and
"Waiver of Access" sections) and give it to your recommender. Instructions to the
recommender are included at the bottom of the form. A completed Waiver for Individual
Letter of Recommendation must accompany all letters sent to the House for storage in
your permanent folder. Copies of a letter of recommendation will not be sent out from
your permanent folder unless this completed form is filed with it.
Storing General Letters: Keeping general letters of recommendation on file
in perpetuity is a valuable service provided by the College. You can ask a professor,
teaching fellow, supervisor, or mentor for such a recommendation at any time. You are
strongly advised to ask for letters before potential recommenders forget details or
anecdotes that could make their letters more effective. These letters can be written for
general purposes and stored in your permanent folder. In the future, these letters can
serve you in many ways: they can be distributed on their own for a particular application;
they can be a resource for fellowships, pre-medical, or pre-law tutors, who draw on these
letters when preparing composite dean's letters (see below); and, upon request, they can
be sent back to recommenders to be tailored for a specific application.
Distributing Letters on File: Copies of letters can be sent by post or fax to
institutions that you designate, but they cannot be given to you under any circumstances
if you waived your right to see them. (See the Assistant to the Senior Tutor about options
when an application requires that all materials be mailed together.) Current students
should give the Assistant to the Senior Tutor stamped and addressed envelopes along
with a note indicating the letters to be copied and mailed or faxed. Alumni should e-mail
the Assistant to the Senior Tutor to indicate recommendations to be copied and mailed or
faxed. Plan in advance for the distribution of letters of recommendation because last-
minute requests will be fulfilled only when time permits.
Letters Written for Specific Purposes: You do not need to have all letters of
recommendation sent to the House for storage in your permanent folder. A recommender
can simply send a letter directly to an institution or give one to you to include in an
application packet. If, however, someone is already writing a letter for you, then you
should take advantage of the opportunity to have that letter in your permanent folder so
you do not need to bother the recommender for a copy in the future. Give the
recommender a waiver form and ask him/her to generalize the letter or send it as-is to be
stored in your permanent folder.
Due Dates: Waiver forms allow you to specify due dates for letters. When
the due date arrives, contact the Assistant to the Senior Tutor to confirm receipt of the
letter. If the letter has not arrived, follow up with the recommender. Always give
recommenders ample time to write letters. If you are requesting a letter for a time-sensitive application, write in a date that comes before the letter is actually needed; this
will leave time to sort out any complications before your application is late. If you are
requesting a general letter, write in a date that is approximately one month away.
Waiver for Preparation of Dean's Letter (PDF): Fill out this form and return it to the Senior Tutor's Office. Preparation of a
dean's letter for a fellowship, medical school, or law school application will not begin
until this form is received. A dean's letter is a composite letter (also called a House
letter) that draws on individual letters of recommendation in your permanent folder.
You will receive e-mail notification from the Assistant to the
Senior Tutor when application packets are completed and mailed.
For more information about the House's committees and their specific application
procedures, visit their websites and direct all questions to the appropriate tutors: Kirkland Pre-Med, Kirkland Pre-Law, and Kirkland Fellowships