Draft Email

Dear _FULL_NAME_,

I am the Goldwater Campus Representative for _COLLEGE_ for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. _STUDENT_NAME_ is being considered by the university for nomination as a Goldwater Scholar and would like you to provide a letter of recommendation on their behalf. If you are willing to write such a letter, please submit your letter to me via email at _YOUR_EMAIL_as a PDF attachment. As outlined in the Goldwater Foundation instructions, letters of recommendation should be no more than two pages, have one inch margins on all sides,be single spaced, use 12 point font, be signed and be printed on letterhead. Campus Representatives are now responsible for uploading all letters of recommendation to the Goldwater Foundation. Please have your letter to me no later than DUE_DATE_HERE.

The mission of the Goldwater Foundation and its scholarship program is to help develop the nation’s next generation of researchers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Your letter should discuss the nominees overall potential and, in particular, the nominee’s potential to become a successful research scientist, mathematician, or engineer. It is important, of course, for you to describe the context in which you know the student and for how long you have known the student. Do you see in this student the motivation, creative thought, stamina, and ability to collaborate that are characteristics of those successfully practicing in these areas? Particularly helpful to the reviewers are your comparisons of the nominee to other students you have known and worked with who have successfully pursued doctoral degrees and/or have previously won Goldwater Scholarships or other nationally competitive awards. If there are any special circumstances or challenges the student has had to face that have negatively affected the student’s performance or that the student has faced and has successfully addressed and performed well in spite of these challenges, please discuss these in your letter. Finally, specificity strengthens your letter. Please provide specific examples of your work with the applicant. Tips for writing a Letter of Recommendation for Goldwater Scholarship nominees can be found on the Goldwater website at: https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/letter-writing-guidance-recommenders/

If you are unable to fulfill this request, please notify me immediately so an alternate reference can be identified.

Thank you,

_YOUR_NAME_