Dr. Downing’s Letters of Recommendation Policy

I have been privileged to teach well over 15,000 students in my career, and have been delighted to have written hundreds of letters of recommendation.

To manage these large numbers, I need to have some policy guidelines on who gets letters.

To obtain a letter of recommendation from me, you need to get an “A” or “B” in one of my classes, AND achieve Gold Helper status. Gold Helper status is achieved by receiving 10 or more points from your undergraduate classmates by helping them with coursework (they must login to the Helper System and give you points). Graduate students are required to receive 30 points to reach Gold Helper status. Graduate students can also receive a recommendation letter if they receive external industry certification if it is offered in their class.

To use my name as a reference, you only need get a “B” or better in one of my classes.

If you meet these conditions, I still reserve the right to refuse to write a letter of recommendation for you, or serve as a reference for you. [If you’re a decent student and person this will NOT happen].

Those are the “default” cases. If I get to know you in some extra capacity (e.g., you are my TA, we do an Independent Study together, we work on research together, I know you through a student organization leadership position, etc.), then it is possible you could obtain a letter due to that relationship.