Scholarship Recommendations

Requesting a Recommendation

To apply for RCCD Scholarships, you are required to have at least one recommendation. Be sure to carefully read the criteria for specific scholarships as they may require that your recommendation be completed by instructors within your major. It is highly recommended that you ask a second or third person for a recommendation as a back-up or an additional recommendation.

• You will need to ask the person from whom you are requesting a
  recommendation for their email address. You will enter their email in the place
  indicated on the scholarship application. The recommendation provider will
  then receive an email from the scholarship application system. They will provide
  the recommendation by completing a questionnaire that will be included in your
  scholarship application. You will not be able to view the recommendation;
  however you will be able to see that it has been submitted to your application.
  Only the scholarship screening committee will be able to view the
  recommendations.
• It is your responsibility that the recommendations are submitted on or before
  the application submission deadline. If the recommendation is listed as
  “Requested” on the scholarship application site, it means the recommendation
  has not yet been properly submitted. You also have the option in the scholarship
  system to send a reminder email to the person from whom you requested a
  recommendation.

Who should you ask for a scholarship recommendation?

The scholarship recommendation should be completed by individuals who can attest to your current academic strength and potential for success. The best sources are:

• Instructors who teach classes within your major and for which you have done excellent work.
• Employers if you are currently working in your chosen field.
• Other possible sources are other instructors (outside your major), academic advisors, counselors, employers (even if outside your chosen field), clergy or other known members of the community.
• Be sure to ask for recommendations from sources that you know will write favorable things about you. Also, a parent, relative, or other student are poor sources for scholarship evaluations and will not be considered as valid references.

Please ask for recommendations politely and early enough to allow them plenty of time
for the recommendation to be completed and submitted before the deadline.
Sometimes, the person you ask for a recommendation may request more information
about you in order to get to know you better and write a more personal
recommendation. In this case, you may want to give them a copy of your personal essay
and/or an activities/achievement resume as a source of additional personal
information.

Don’t be afraid to approach any of your RCCD Instructors about providing a scholarship
recommendation. The RCCD Faculty is aware that students will be asking for
recommendations; many have completed them in previous years. They will also be sent
guidelines regarding how to submit the recommendations. Just remember to give them
plenty of time and not wait until the last minute. You may need to follow-up and remind
them about two or three weeks before the scholarship deadline if it has not been
submitted.

Important: Please note that the Scholarship deadline is after the fall semester, and
faculty members may not be available for contact after the last day of fall semester. Be
aware that faculty members also have the right to decline writing a recommendation
for any reason.