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edit.docxOctober 15, 2014
Professor Randy Smith
I have applied for an entry-level position as a Microsoft Office Specialist at Valley Mills Supply Company and am in need of a recommendation. I would be honored if you would write one for me. Your course, [Class Title], was one of my favorite classes in college.
I have enclosed copies of my resume and a writing sample for your review. You will see that I am graduating with a [grade point average] GPA, and that I have been inducted into a number of honor societies that reward excellence in the areas of
[description of areas of excellence].
Along with these honors, I also have the following experience from my summer internship at Jones Lumber:
If you feel that you are familiar enough with my education and skills to write a recommendation for me, please contact me by phone at [phone number]. I will send you a stamped, self-addressed envelope in which to send your recommendation.
Whatever your decision, please accept my sincere thanks for your time and consideration of my request.
Considerations when choosing a college course
Every semester students agonize over choosing the courses they register to take in the next semester. What courses are being offered, what courses requires pre-requisites, degree required course versus an elective course, times a specific course is being offered, textbooks, what professor is teaching the course, and a host of other items. Once the course selection has been narrowed down, a few more decisions have to be made, such as taking the course online or in a traditional classroom.
When deciding between an online or traditional classroom version of a course, students should also take into consideration their personality characteristics. Believe it or not, a student’s personality characteristics play into their success in college coursework. Studies have been conducted that demonstrate specific personalities do better in online courses versus traditional classroom courses, and vice versa [insert citation].
An earlier study conducted by Kim and Schniederjans published in 2004 (Kim and Schniederjans) using personality characteristics (factors) were able to show a relationship to grade performance. The table below shows the five factors and their definitions:
Wonderlic Personality Question Inventory
Conscientiousness A tendency to be hardworking, dependable efficient, and achievement striving.
Openness to experience A tendency to be imaginative, cultured, curious, polished, original, broadminded, intelligent, and artistically sensitive.
Emotional Stability A tendency to handle stress, to maintain an even temperament, and to have a high degree of composure and self-confidence across most situations.
Extraversion A tendency to be sociable, gregarious, talkative, assertive, adventurous, active, energetic, and ambitious.
Agreeableness A tendency to be courteous, helpful, trusting, good-natured, cooperative, tolerant, and forgiving.
Using the Wonderlic questionnaire, a study was conducted using 500 students to determine whether personality characteristics has an effect on college grades, specifically online courses. Of the 500 students who volunteered for the study, 260 students were selected randomly to evaluate. The online course was completely web-based, and self-paced. Students had to read their textbook, study PowerPoint presentations, and take four exams. The results showed that four of the five personality characteristics are predictive of success in an online course. Interestingly, the characteristic that was not predictive of grade success was extraversion [insert citation]. One would think that extraversion would be an important characteristic due to the decreased social contact in an online class, but this study dispels that thought. College advisors may want to consider having their students complete the Wonderlic questionnaire or develop a similar instrument to determine the personality characteristics of the students in order to predict success in an online course.
