Internal Resources
LINKED CLASSES
LEAP 1060: “Methods and Techniques of Library Research”
LEAP 1060 is a one-unit course that is included in the LEAP Seminar. It consists of ten meetings during the fall and spring semesters taught by a librarian. Students learn how to use the library’s electronic databases to conduct research.
LEAP 2002: “Leadership and Community: LEAP Peer Advisor Seminar”
LEAP 2002 allows students to get academic credit for their work as Peer Advisors.
LEAP and Honors Connection
Students who successfully complete one year (2 courses) of LEAP and are interested in completing an Honors degree, may apply for entrance to the Honors College. Applicants must have a 3.5 or higher GPA and receive at least and A- in both LEAP courses. Entering Honors students will be awarded one Intellectual Traditions course and one Honors elective course credit upon admittance.
Instructions and Information Release Form for Recommendation Letters
UofU Permission to Release Education Record Information Form: Permission to Release Education Information
ETIQUETTE FOR ASKING FOR A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION OR REFERENCE
During your time at the university the chances are high that you will need to ask someone for a letter of reference to support an application [for a scholarship, a job, an internship, etc.]. You want to get the best letter you can, because you will competing with other students. These are some ideas about how you can best do this.
Put thought into your choice of a reference. Ask someone you know, and ask someone who knows you. Not every instructor can write about you. Don’t ask an instructor to write a letter if you’ve been disruptive in their class. At the beginning of each semester, try to visit all of your professors during office hours for a private visit so that they will begin to know who you are.
Ask early. If at all possible, allow two weeks before the letter is due. Everyone understands that emergencies happen, and two weeks is not always possible. However, it is always best. A hurried reference letter is not likely to be as thoughtful or enthusiastic as is a considered one.
Be prepared for the professor to say ‘no’ to your request. This is not the likely scenario, but there are reasons why you might get the 'no.' The professor may be too busy to give you adequate time. Perhaps they remember you as the person who was always late, and feel that you could get a stronger letter elsewhere.
Provide the professor with complete, written information about yourself and the scholarship for which you are applying. Information about yourself would include your name, contact information, and at least a brief summary of your activities in areas such as academics, service, and campus involvement. If you haven’t seen the professor for a year, bring him or her up to date on what you have done. Offer to provide an academic transcript to provide a context. Many professors like to see a sample of your writing in order to be reminded of how you write and think.
Information about the scholarship would include things such as criteria, the focus of the scholarship [service, academic, etc.], the name of the person or group to whom the letter should be addressed, and the deadline. Professors need this information because they take the time to shape the letters for the particular audience. A letter that might work in one context will not be strong in another, and letters addressed “to whom it might concern” are seldom effective. This information should be provided on the “Permission to Release Education Record Information” form.
BE SURE TO INDICATE THE DEADLINE FOR YOUR LETTER(S) ON THE FORM.
FERPA rules require that the professor get a signed release from the student to report their grades or any educational information linked to them in letters of reference. You can get a copy of that form from the LEAP website, which you should print and give to the professor when you deliver the materials.
The Permission to Release Education Record Information form on the website also gives you the option to waive your right to see the letter your professor writes, and your letter will be more effective if you check the “yes” box. The scholarship committee assumes that this will encourage a more candid letter from the professor, and such a letter will carry much more weight.
Plan on visiting the professor in person to make your request. You’re asking for a favor from the professor, not ordering pizza. This brief interview helps the professor form a stronger idea of who you are and what the letter should emphasize. After the process is over, send a thank-you note to the professor. This acknowledges the time the professor spent [thirty minutes to an hour]. It also paves the way for you should you need to ask for another letter a year later.
Let the professor know the result of your application. This can be done informally, through a phone call or email but you have now piqued the professor’s interest, so you don’t just want to disappear.