Letters of Recommendation for Public Policy Programs

Letters of Recommendation for Public Policy Programs

Sep, 19, 2008

Steve Green on Letters of Recommendation for Public Policy Programs

This is both my second post on recommendations and my third post on public policy programs. The earlier recommendation post is here. The earlier public policy posts are here and here.

The advice in this post is aimed at applicants to public policy degree programs, e.g. an MPP, MPA, Environmental Policy, etc. Public policy programs include programs in policy and administration. Degrees such as the MPP focus on strategic policy analysis and public policy creation, while degrees such as the MPA emphasizes skills and knowledge for the administrative side of public policy formation.

In general, a letter of recommendation for a public policy degree applicant should cite evidence of the kinds of brainpower discussed in the previous post. In particular, ideal recommendation letters give specific examples of skills directly relevant to analyzing and making public policy and, particularly in the case of MPA applicant, to organizational and leadership skills. A recommender should be able to should cite specific examples of when and how an applicant analyzed a complex problem, preferably one that was social or economic in nature, and proposed a solution. Furthermore, a recommender should ideally be able to cite evidence of good project management, leadership and/or interpersonal skills.

Part I below contains advice for applicants currently working in the field of policy-making at any level of government, or for NGOs. Part II makes suggestions for applicants currently working outside the field of public policy. Part III has advice for current university students.

1. If you currently work in a policy-making field (i.e. as a government ministry professional, a legislative aide, or for an NGO) then you probably have a well of experience from which a recommender can draw specific examples to verify your strengths.

• The ideal recommender is the person who directly oversees and evaluates your work. This person is probably your immediate supervisor. Considering the many titles held within government bureaucracies it might be tempting to seek a recommendation from someone higher up the command chain with a more impressive-sounding title, but, unless that person has directly overseen your work, then his letter will not sound authentic. For example, I once worked with a client who was a policy analyst for a ministry of the government of Japan and who obtained a recommendation letter from the prime minister. The letterhead and the signature were very impressive. Unfortunately, the content of the letter was quite bland because the writer could not actually describe the details of any particular accomplishment of the applicant, who worked directly under someone who was several positions lower in the government hierarchy than the prime minister. Thankfully, the client decided not to include this letter in his application and was successfully admitted to a number of top programs.

• Other recommenders include previous supervisors at work, former university professors in your field, and supervisors of any volunteer or extra-curricular activity in which you believe your participation indicates the potential for success in a policy degree.

  • The ideal recommendation letter from your boss should describe the details of how you achieved specific accomplishments, and/or your particular contributions to projects. The writer should be able to demonstrate how you think and how you solve abstract problems, as well as how you work with and/or lead your peers.

    • If you work for a government ministry or agency the ideal letter should contain details of your contributions to specific policies and/regulations, and/or of specific your role in inter- or intra-governmental negotiations or summits.

    • If you work in an NGO the ideal letter should present evidence of your contribution to a policy proposal, or your role “on the ground” in carrying out your NGO’s mission, including examples of how you identify, frame and solve problems, as well as how you work with and/or lead your colleauges.

  • The ideal recommendation from a former university professor should describe details of your analytical and communication skills in an academic subject directly related to the field of public policy. The greater the time between your university graduation and your current job, the less useful a recommendation letter will be. So, ask for an academic recommendation only if:

    • The graduate program to which you are applying requires it

    • Only 1-3 years have passed since your graduation AND you are confident the professor remembers you well

    • You are still in contact with the professor

  • Seek a recommendation from outside work and university only if it will enhance your policy-making and/or policy administration skills. You are already a working professional in the field, so a recommendation letter that is from someone outside work might be seen by the admissions committee as a sign that you could not obtain good recommendations from your supervisors or professors.

• Provide your recommender with a copy of your resume/CV as well as with detailed plans of your graduate and career goals.

• If your employer will pay for all or part of your graduate tuition, then be sure to include that fact on your resume/CV. If someone responsible for the decision to award you with sponsorship for your graduate studies also meets the criteria above for an ideal recommender, then you should certainly request a letter from that person.

2. If you are currently working in a field that is unrelated to public policy, then you likely have no experience in drafting or implementing public policy. So, you will need recommendations that can demonstrate that the skill and knowledge you possess can transfer to your new field.

Remember! The point of your whole application is to demonstrate that you have the brainpower and communication skills to succeed as a public policy graduate student and professional. Many of the skills that you have developed as a professional will transfer to your new field.

• The ideal recommender is the person who directly oversees and evaluates your work. This person is probably your immediate supervisor. Considering the many titles held within corporate hierarchies it might be tempting to seek a recommendation from someone higher up the command chain with a more impressive-sounding title, but, unless that person has directly overseen your work, then his letter will not sound authentic.

• Other recommenders include previous supervisors at work, former university professors in your field, and supervisors of any volunteer or extra-curricular activity in which you believe your participation indicates the potential for success in a policy degree.

• The ideal recommendation letter from your boss should describe the details of how you achieved specific accomplishments, and/or your particular contributions to projects. The writer should be able to demonstrate how you think and how you solve abstract problems, as well as how you work with and/or lead your peers.

• The ideal recommendation from a former university professor should describe details of your analytical and communication skills in an academic subject directly related to the field of public policy. The greater the time between your university graduation and your current job, the less useful a recommendation letter will be. So, ask for an academic recommendation only if:

  • The graduate program to which you are applying requires it

  • Only 1-3 years have passed since your graduation AND you are confident the professor remembers you well

  • You are still in contact with the professor

• The ideal recommendation letter from someone in a volunteer organization will emphasize your organizational skills, interpersonal and leadership skills and any analytical ability you utilized for the sake of the organization.

• Provide your recommender with a copy of your resume/CV as well as with detailed plans of your graduate and career goals.

• If your employer will pay for all or part of your graduate tuition, then be sure to include that fact on your resume/CV. If someone responsible for the decision to award you with sponsorship for your graduate studies also meets the criteria above for an ideal recommender, then you should certainly request a letter from that person.

3. If you are currently a university student then you likely have no experience in drafting or implementing public policy. So, you will need recommendations that can demonstrate that you are an excellent student with potential to succeed in graduate school and a career in the field of public policy. In addition to the advice discussed in the previous post you should seek recommendations from teachers based on the criteria listed below.

• Ideal recommenders include:

• A teacher in whose class you earned an excellent grade

• A teacher who taught a class as closely related as possible to the field of public policy

• A teacher with whom you worked closely on an extended project, such as a graduation/senior thesis

• An immediate supervisor from an internship, volunteer activity, or job

• Ideal letters should be able to:

  • Highlight your brainpower, with emphasis on your verbal and written analytical ability and with an example of how you approached a complex social or economic problem

  • Where relevant, highlight your leadership and/or personal skills

For questions regarding this post, please contact me at h.steven.green@gmail.com. To learn more about my graduate admissions consulting services, please click here.
– H. Steven (“Steve”) Green, グリーン・ハロルド・スティーブン 大学院留学 カリフォルニア大学バークレー校 マクスウェルスクール シラキューズ大学 ハーバード大学ケネディスクール コロンビア大学の国際関係・公共政策大学院（通称SIPA)