If you are planning to go to graduate school, you will likely need a few professors to write reference letters in support of your application. Start preparing for this early. Ideally start planning for this after your second year of undergraduate studies. Always ask each professor for permission before putting their name on any application. Many professors reuire 1 to 2 months' notice before the earliest deadline.
Letters of recommendation are a critical component of graduate school applications. Admissions committees rely heavily on these letters to understand your academic strengths, research potential, and personal qualities in ways that transcripts and CVs cannot capture. Strong letters typically come from professors who know you well and can comment on your abilities with specific examples.
Because of this, I can write the most effective letters for students with whom I have had meaningful academic or research interactions, for example, those who have done exceptionally well in course(s) taken with me, have interacted with me multiple times in-person after lectures or during office hours, or worked on research projects under my supervision. Graduate programs often ask referees to evaluate applicants on qualities such as research potential, intellectual maturity, problem-solving ability, originality and creativity, communication skills, independence, initiative, and teamwork skills. If I cannot speak to these qualities with specific examples, I may not be able to provide the kind of strong, detailed letter that will genuinely support your application.
Since I teach large courses in artificial intelligence and machine learning, I receive a very large number of reference letter requests each year, typically between 100 and 150. Unfortunately, I simply cannot write letters for every student who requests one. In practice, I am only able to write letters for about 20–25 students per year, and even this small number requires roughly a full week of dedicated writing time. I therefore prioritize requests for students for whom I can write a strong letter, not just a letter.
Please start by identifying our relationship. This will determine whether I can write you a Full Letter (a strong, personalized letter suitable for research-based programs and competitive awards) or a Coursework Letter (a limited letter based primarily on course performance).
Question: What is our relationship?
If you have worked on a research or course development project under my supervision or served as a TA under my supervision, it is likely that I can write you a strong, detailed, and personalized letter to support your applications to graduate programs, awards, or jobs. Before submitting a request, please ensure that you meet the following minimum criteria.
To request a full reference letter, all of the following must be true:
If any of these criteria cannot be met, I may not be able to write a full letter for you.
If you meet the minimum criteria, please email me to request a reference letter. This email serves to confirm that I am able to write a strong letter for you. I may decline your request if I don't believe that I can write a strong letter for you. This does not reflect negatively on you. It simply means that someone else may be in a better position to support your application.
Once I confirm that I can write a letter for you, I will need you to help me understand why you believe that you are a good candidate for the relevant position so that my letter can reflect the values of the program/award/position you are applying for. Please fill out this form.
If your only interaction with me has been as a student in one or more of my large courses (CSC384, CSC311, CSC413), I can provide only a standard coursework letter. Such a letter typically includes:
However, this type of letter is not considered strong for research-based Master’s programs, PhD programs, or competitive awards. Because I cannot speak to your research abilities, independence, creativity, or other qualities that graduate programs explicitly evaluate, a coursework letter from me would likely weaken your application rather than strengthen it.
For this reason, I am not able to write letters for research-based Master’s programs, PhD programs, or awards when our only interaction has been through large lecture courses. This is not a reflection on your abilities. It simply means that someone who knows you more personally (even outside academic contexts) will be in a much better position to support your application. However, if you are applying to a coursework-based Master's program, I may be able to provide a coursework letter.
Before submitting a request, please ensure that you meet the following minimum criteria.
To request a coursework letter, all of the following must be true:
If any of these criteria cannot be met, I may not be able to write a coursework letter for you.
If you meet the minimum criteria, please email me to request a coursework letter. This email allows me to confirm that I have the capacity to write it. I may need to decline if I have committed to too many letters, so I strongly recommend reaching out as early as possible.
Once I confirm that I can write the coursework letter for you, please fill out this form here.
Please copy and paste the information below exactly into all online application forms. If the information is entered incorrectly, I may not be able to submit your letter.
Name: Alice Gao
Title: Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
Unit: Department of Computer Science
University: University of Toronto
Address: Room 4240, 40 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2E4
Phone: 416-978-2011
E-mail: ax.gao@utoronto.ca
Many of the ideas and instructions on this page draw inspiration from the excellent reference-letter guidelines created by Professor Liza Bolton and Professor Geoffrey Herman.