letters of reference

For lab members, please refer to our lab wiki for more relevant information.

How to get a stellar reference letter

Letters of reference are important elements of graduate school and job applications. It seems obvious, but the most important part of getting good reference letters is doing a great job in all aspects of your work. Progress in research comes less from miraculous last-minute “magical insights” and more from continuous, rigorous, occasionally tedious, and above-all thoughtful work. You are shaping your own reference letter from the moment you join a lab, start a job, begin a project, or audition for a musical ensemble.

It is useful, therefore, to periodically ask yourself how you are progressing in meeting your academic goals, how you can improve, and the degree to which you are consistently meeting and exceeding expectations. Think about what you would like to have said in your ideal letter of reference – and then work to make it happen!

 

Help me help you!

I’m happy to write letters for students who have worked in the lab for a significant time. However, I’m often writing many letters simultaneously and fitting them in with other responsibilities. I would strongly prefer at least two weeks’ notice, and I will not be able to accept requests within 1 week or less of the deadline. Because I sequence these letters along with commitments for various lab members and colleagues, it would be unfair for others to be shortchanged to accommodate last-minute requests. I am aware that some opportunities emerge only when you are delving into details of others – so please start exploring opportunities and planning well in advance.

If you need multiple letters, please include in your materials a table of which letter is due when. If you would like a letter earlier than it is due, feel free to communicate that. However, please do not simply say the letter is due earlier than is actually the case. The letters tend to bunch up and if some are due, say, Dec 15th rather than Dec 1st, it is very helpful for me to plan a writing schedule accordingly.

Please fill out any parts of an application form (e.g., my name and contact info) you can before giving it to me. If the application uses a pdf form that will not allow you to save changes, then please (1) include a copy of this form in your materials and (2) give me (or the lab manager) a printed copy with as much info as possible filled in. That way I can focus on talking about you rather than filling in my contact info for the 20th time each year. It also lets me point out how respectful you are of your professors’ time!

I get more requests for letters than I can accommodate, so just having worked in the lab does not guarantee I am able to help. Requests for letters on the wiki timeline that I have not explicitly approved via email will be ignored. For the best chance of me being able to approve your request, follow these steps well in advance of the deadline – the earlier, the better.

 

Steps to requesting a reference from Prof Schutz

  1. Email me (schutz@mcmaster.ca) to request the reference – and cc’ the lab manager (maplelab.assistant@gmail.com). I’ll let you know if I’m able to accommodate (based on factors such as time we’ve worked together/growth observed, amount of notice before the deadline, and number of other requests I’m balancing). *Once you’ve contacted us we will provide you with the password for the webpage with the Google Drive Link.* 
  2. If I’m able to accommodate, add your request to the letters of reference (LoR) timeline on the wiki, clearly specifying the due dates.
  3. Upload the materials specified below to the Google Drive Folder.
    • Enter the folder with the appropriate academic year 
    • Create a new subfolder in the format “Last name, First name”.
    • Consult the ‘SAMPLE’ folder for examples of how to structure your folder and file naming conventions.
    • It is your job to keep your folder up to date with the latest copies of documents related to the current reference letter request!
    • Note: If you’d like your folder to be kept private (i.e., visible only to you, Prof Schutz, and the lab manager) change the general access sharing permissions from ‘anyone with the link’ to ‘restricted’. Select ‘remove item access’, NOT ‘remove from parent’.

 

Your folder should contain these materials:

  1. Your CV/resume
  2. Your most recent available transcript (unofficial is fine)
  3. Copies of personal statement, cover letter, portfolio, etc. you will be submitting with your applications (if applicable). This helps me understand which aspects of your work you are presenting, and hence which aspects of our interactions are best to focus on
  4. A document with contextual information about you and what you’re applying for (see details below). Not all these questions and prompts will be relevant to all applications, but the more thought and effort you put into this info, the better equipped I will be to write you a strong letter!

 

Details to include in the contextual document:

  • Remind me how we first met, classes you’ve taken, and projects you’ve done.
    • Relay this in both absolute (e.g, Fall of 2024) and relative (e.g., at the start of my third year) terms. Occasionally it is in your interest for me to talk about your growth from level 3 to level 4; other times it is beneficial for me to put your work in a broader context (e.g, Bob started right as we began work on my SSHRC grant in 2022).
    • Provide details! Don’t assume I remember all your accomplishments off-hand, as impressive as I’m sure they were! If you’ve given conference or class presentations, helped other students with projects, or done useful things that may not be obvious to me, point these out explicitly. Now is not the time to be modest, and I can help you best when I know pertinent things you’ve done.
  • Clearly specify all programs/jobs/awards you’re applying for, and at which institutions. Please include:
    • The program, job, or award description. E.g., for awards, include the grantor’s description of the purpose of the award.
    • Links to the relevant websites.
    • Instructions on how to submit the references.
    • The deadlines for submitting the references.
  • Let me know something about the institution/organization to which you are applying. Some guiding questions are:
    • Why do you want to be at this place?
    • Who do you hope to work with there, and why?
    • How does this opportunity fit your short- and/or long-term goals?
    • How does your background/experience so far lead towards this choice?
  • Describe why you are a good fit for this opportunity and what you have to offer them. This is for your benefit—one thing supervisors evaluate when reviewing applicants is whether you will help achieve the research team/department/lab’s goals and mission. Feel free to group similar programs into categories where your reasons for being a good fit are similar.
  • Comment on the elements of your CV and transcript most relevant to the application.
    • You may wish to add a brief narrative highlighting talents, skills, and experiences—such as a particularly rigorous part of your record, the leadership roles you have held, or an unusual study or travel experience.
  • Let me know who else will be writing reference letters for you and what they will be writing about. It is a good strategy to have different referees address different aspects of your background, so this will help me make your letter as relevant as possible.

 

Contact information
For filling in details on forms/fields (please do this as much as is permissible to streamline)

Name: Michael Schutz
Title: Professor of Music Cognition/Percussion
University: McMaster University
Department: School of the Arts

Email: schutz@mcmaster.ca

Website: www.maplelab.net

 

Phone

Office: 905-525-9140, ext 23159

Mobile: 647-458-3771

 

Mailing address
424 Togo Salmon Hall
1280 Main St. W. Hamilton Ontario L8S 4M2