Joseph L. Nedelec, Ph.D.

If you are a former student of Dr. Nedelec's and would like a letter of recommendation please read the following information.

 

I am happy to compose letters of recommendation for former students who have excelled in my courses or have otherwise illustrated themselves to be good candidates for academic positions, graduate school, or other employment. Please note that I take letters of recommendation very seriously and therefore provide the most candid and representative letter given my experiences with my students. Therefore, I will not agree to write a letter of recommendation if I feel that I am unable to provide a positive recommendation. If I do not agree to write you a letter of recommendation please know that I am doing so in your best interests. If I do agree to write you a letter of recommendation please provide me with as much of the following information as possible:

 

(1) An updated resume or CV indicating your past employment, academic, volunteer, service, and organizational information.

 

(2) A list of the courses for which I was your instructor/professor, the year and term you took those courses, and the final overall grade you obtained in each course. Additionally, if you wrote a term paper in one or more of these courses please provide a general summary of the paper and the grade you received on the paper.

 

(3) If you are applying for admission to graduate school please provide me with a completed copy of the letter of intent (personal statement) that you are submitting with your application.

 

(4) If you are applying for admission to graduate school please provide me with a brief statement about your career goals (e.g., are you hoping to work in an academic institution, a research institute, or in the private sector?), your area of research interest (doctoral program applicants), and the general topic for your dissertation research (doctoral program applicants).

 

(5) The due date for which the letter of recommendation is required.

 

(6) The method by which I will be submitting your letter of recommendation (i.e., mail a hard copy, upload to an application system, etc.). If I am to mail your letter of recommendation please provide me with a mailing address.

 

(7) Any other information that you feel I should know in order to compose the best recommendation possible.

 

(8) Complete and sign a Record-Release Authorization Form wherein you authorize me to discuss with a third party your academic information.  I must receive a copy of this signed form (either via email or in-person) before I can release your letter.  UC students can download the form here. Non-UC students should obtain a similar form from their institution.  

 

(9) In order to be able to write a candid letter of recommendation I ask that you also indicate, either through a signed form or through indicating on an electronic application system, that you waive the right to review the letter of recommendation.

 

(10) For applications to UC's Criminal Justice graduate program (M.S. and Ph.D.) you must also obtain a reference form that I will complete.  Click here to download the form.  Include the necessary information at the top of the form and then send it to me via email, leave it in my mailbox in the UC CJ offices, or drop by my office and give it to me in person.

 

In order to provide me with the necessary time to produce a positive letter, please give me at least three weeks to compose and submit your letter of recommendation. If you ask for a letter with less than three weeks before the letter is due I may not agree to write your letter (again, I do this in order to ensure that I am able to write the best letter possible for you).

 

For UC students (online and on-campus):  if you have completed only one course with me please note that I will not be able to compose a letter of recommendation for you.  However, I am willing to complete a reference form (see point 10 above) if you are applying to UC's graduate program.  

 

A final note, if I write a letter of recommendation for you please let me know the results of your application (you should do this for all of your letter writers).

 

Best of luck with your application!