MBRS-RISE/MARC-U*STAR Application
Advice
on Recommendation Forms:
General:
Do not allow shyness or hesitation about an application prevent you from participating is these programs. If you are strongly motivated to pursue a career in research and are having trouble with recommendation forms or other parts of your application, come and see the assistant program director, Gail Taylor (BSE 1.614) for advice. If a doctoral degree in Biology or Chemistry is your goal, our programs will benefit you greatly, both in the present by allowing you to obtain valuable research experience, and in the future with admission to special off-campus undergraduate summer research programs and doctoral (Ph.D.) programs.
The
RISE/MARC application requires two recommendations, to be completed on the
RISE/MARC Recommendations form. We
advise you to provide these to the people from whom you will obtain a
recommendation, along with a stamped envelope with address to which it can
be returned.
Obtain recommendations preferably from UTSA math, science, or engineering (for Engineering majors) faculty members. TAs are not recommended. First semester freshmen may obtain both recommendations from High School science/math teachers. If you have worked in or are working in a research laboratory (not a teaching lab), get one from your research mentor.
The better you know someone, the better your recommendation is likely to be. If you have any doubts if a person will evaluate you well, ask them whether they “know you well enough to write a good recommendation for you.” People don’t like writing bad recommendations and this way, you give them an easy way to turn you down rather than write a bad or very scanty recommendations. Realize, however, that even a scanty recommendation is better than not turning one in at all or not applying.
If a faculty member doesn’t know you very well but will work with you, you may assist them by helping them to get to know you better. Set up an appointment and provide them with a letter detailing your future goals and the program to which you are applying, your personal statement to the program, as well as a copy of your resume/CV.
Ask your recommender as far in advance as possible- preferably two weeks at minimum. Good recommendations take some consideration ands take a good bit of time to put together and your professors are very busy.
Ph.D.’s
often need to be reminded and are not annoyed if you do it politely.
Follow up with your recommenders to make sure that the
recommendations are
actually sent. The squeaky
wheel gets the oil really works in this circumstance.
Advice on Online Forms
Please talk to your recommender beforehand and have them agree to recommend you, before we send them a request to complete an online form. Once they agree, tell them that they will receive a link and password via email. Fill out the name and email address of your recommenders in your application and program staff will notify them as soon as possible.