Tips for References

If you have been asked to write a recommendation letter for a student applying to the Banner-ASU Neuroscience Scholars program, please review the following information.

What is the Banner-ASU Neuroscience Scholars program?

Banner-ASU Neuroscience Scholars is a paid eight-week training program open to top achieving college undergraduate and graduate science students. Scholars work full-time on a research project under the mentorship of a Banner Research or ASU-Biodesign scientist to unlock medical and scientific mysteries in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, in a lab setting in the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

Research opportunities are divided into five separate tracks: Basic and Translational Neuroscience; Computational Image Analysis; Healthy Aging Research; Brain and Body Donation; and Clinical Neurodegenerative Research. Each research track is correlated to a participating training facility.

What should I include in the recommendation letter?

Please tell us how you know the student and why you think they are a strong and deserving candidate for this training program. We value your insight regarding the student's academic ability, initiative, achievements, potential for success, dependability, character and professionalism. Specific anecdotes and examples from your experience with the student are much more valuable than generic praise and template letters. The ideal recommendation letter provides a realistic overview of the student's personal qualities, competencies and aptitude from your unique perspective.

How do I submit the recommendation letter?

When a student submits their final application, a recommendation request e-mail is automatically generated to you at the e-mail address provided by the student. The e-mail contains instructions and a unique web link to submit the text of the letter and automatically link it to their application. Letters are not accepted by mail or e-mail. Reference letters are due by the application closing date. Please check your junk mail folder for misdirected e-mail. If the e-mail does not come through, the student can re-send it through their online portal.

To avoid losing your work due to session time-outs, please consider editing your letter in a word processing program on your personal computer before submitting the text on this website. Keep in mind that you will need to use plain text.

If you have questions, please contact Emily Bovio at [email protected].