正在芝加哥一所大学读书的马先生告诉记者，许多有过申请国外院校经历的学生都知道，在出国申请是否成功的诸多要求中，推荐信的分量仅次于本科成绩单和语言的成绩，在一些领域甚至比你本科成绩更重要。国外一些大学考察一个学生的情况是以综合能力来衡量的，除了“个人陈述”这一申请人站在本人的角度介绍自己文件外，通过推荐信从认识申请人的第三者立场了解申请人的特点是录取过程中非常重要的一个环节。尤其在申请北美、加拿大等一些国家的时候，推荐信的重要性更为突出。
视情况选推荐人
通常来说，学校教授、任课老师、企业老板、学部委员都是可以写推荐信的。一些留学生在挑选写推荐信人的时候，往往会进入一个误区，认为请名头越大的人写越好。这个问题只能是根据每个人的具体背景来回答，并没有普遍适用的'答案，但不管是请什么级别的人来写，一定要体现该推荐人和申请者是如何相识的，是什么关系，并确实了解申请者的情况，这样才合乎情理和逻辑。记者从京城一些知名留学中介了解到，目前，国外重视的是本科生读硕士或者更高的人的推荐信。这样并非说预科、本科这样的推荐信就不重要，而是相对来说，它的作用就不像读研究生或以上学位那样大了。如果你是应届本科生毕业，那么写推荐信的人应该是任课的教授，一个专业课老师，一个基础课老师。这样，一个在专业上突出你的长处和学习能力，另一个则体现你的基础素质等方面。而对于在职的人来说，写推荐信的人可以是公司的直接上司和有学术专长的教授。应该说，只有是一位熟悉你并且欣赏你，本身在学术界颇有成就的教授，或者真正了解你的公司领导，才能写出一封深刻、有说服力的推荐信。
推荐信要突出个人亮点
在推荐信中，并不是把这个人的优点写得面面俱到就是好推荐信，因为这样并没有突出申请者与众不同的亮点。同时，在国外的院校里，他们每天要收到很多封推荐信，有亮点的信自然会吸引人的注意。一封推荐信中有一个主要的闪光点并有具体例子佐证你的优点即可，这样会给招生人员留下较为深刻的印象。许许多多的推荐信都犯着一个相似的错误，那就是几乎满篇都是溢美之词，但却不举一件事例来证明。
500～800字是理想篇幅
专家告诉记者，推荐信切忌写得过长，一般来说500～800英文字以内是比较理想的篇幅，能排在一张A4信纸，并上下留出写抬头和签名的充足空间。另外，最好用推荐信印有推荐人单位(学校、公司)名称的信封和信纸，并用激光打印机打印。教授推荐函中要注明教授的电话号码，所在系及学校地址，并用学校正规信签纸?有学校名称信头的信纸?打印出来。信上需打印出教授姓名的汉语拼音，并请教授签名。推荐信可以和申请表一起寄出，但要记住在信封正面写上推荐人和对方学校的联系地址，以便核查。(本报实习记者石丹)
相关联接
推荐信的完整格式
一封推荐信除了信头、发信日期、收信人姓名、称呼、信尾谦称、签名、推荐人姓名、职务等必需部分之外，正文内容说明应包括下列各项：被推荐者的签名——为便于对方查询，被推荐者的签名仅写“Mr Wang”或“Miss Zhang”是不够的。用标准的汉语拼音或英文拼法都可以，但必须由被推荐者自己提供，且前后必须一致。认识被推荐者的时间(How long have you know him/her)——何时开始认识，或认识了多久。认识程度(How well do you know him/her)——是偶尔见面还是关系密切，或仅教过一年还是担任其导师。与被推荐人的关系(Relationship)——师生关系，上、下级领导关系等。被推荐人的表现(Performance)——学习上、生活上、课堂上和课外活动上的表现。结论意见——愿意推荐或不愿意推荐，无保留或有所保留的推荐、普通推荐或极力推荐，必须明确，当然极力推荐为最好。以上六项是任何一封推荐信所必须包括的，缺其中任意一项则都会失去函件应有的功能或会大大降低推荐的效果。
From: Fan Pu
Department of the SPECIAL CLASS GIFTED for YOUTHS
University of Science and Technology
Hefei, Anhui 230026, P.R. China
July 1, 1998
Dear Sir or Madam:
I take great pleasure in recommending Wang Yong, one of my favorite students, for admission into your distinguished graduate program.
Mr. Wang was admitted in 1986 at 14 years of age into the SPECIAL CLASS for the GIFTED YOUTHS, my university's unique program that caters to the intellectual needs of unusually talented Chinese youngsters. It was a rare privilege he earned with his nearly impeccable academic performance through the years of his elementary and secondary school.
He impressed me almost as he entered into my university, a major cradle of china's scientific and technological talents. At the time, members of the Gifted Class all had to spend half a month studying by themselves the principles of calculus and then take an exam so that we could eva luate their self-study capability. Mr. Wang scored the highest grade in that exam. He also exhibited a keenly whetted mind during class discussions. To my regret at the time, his English was not as good as his mathematics or physics. But I noticed he made a point of working especially hard in improving his English during his five undergraduate years with us. By now, he seems to be at least as proficient in English as most of his former classmates in the Gifted Class.
In my experience with Mr. Wang, I was impressed with not only his extraordinary intelligence but also his ambitions and persistence. I am sure that Mr. Wang will be an outstanding student in any doctoral program that he may care to enroll in. So I would like to support him firmly in his quest recommendation into account when considering his application. I would greatly appreciate it you decide to accept him as he wishes.
Yours sincerely
Fan Pu
Professor and Deputy Head