<aside> 🌻 References are required for most graduate school programs, so finding great references is important! Supporting your references is equally as important

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Obtaining References

• ask your references early in advance if they are willing to write you a reference (at least 2-3 months in advance, if possible)
• It’s as easy as sending them a quick email, making sure to inform them of:
  • the program you’re applying to
  • the deadline for the reference
  • what you’re hoping that they’ll write about, based on your working relationship
• check how many references you need for your program and if they need to fall into specific categories
  • for example, McMaster Global Health requires applicants to have two academic references
• even if you don’t know what programs you’re applying to yet, ask your references as early as you can if they would be willing to write you a reference letter

Helping your references

• something that I did that helped my references → sending them a “reference info package”
• what I included in the reference package
  • a message of gratitude (along the lines of, “thank you for supporting me on my grad school journey and supporting me in my academic pursuits”)
  • the list of the programs that I am applying to + their program websites, similar to Overview of the Master’s Programs
  • a blurb / a few bullet points on why I am applying to those programs
  • a resume of my current involvements (ex: recent jobs, volunteering, courses, etc.), with descriptions of what I did
  • for each of my involvements, I also wrote personal anecdotes about why I enjoyed this job, what I learned, and how this job affected my professional / academic journey
• once you finish writing your CV and cover letter, share those documents with your references
  • that way, they can see why you’re interested in the program and know how to align their reference letter with your reasons
• share your CV and cover letter with your references - so they can write you a reference letter that aligns with what you want to say
• send your references a calendar invite with the program’s referee deadline, so they can have an additional reminder of when they need to finish by