It is strongly recommended that you carefully consider who to ask for as your reference. Letter of recommendation is a very important material in the application. The suggestion is to contact referees a few months before the application deadline and ask them to put your recommendation letter on the agenda. A long and thoughtful letter of recommendation is far better than a hastily written letter of recommendation.
It is best to introduce the applicant's past and future at the same time, and describe some issues that the admissions Committee of Kennedy College of Harvard University is concerned about. I hope all the letters of recommendation can describe the applicant's past experience. But a really good recommendation letter not only describes the past experience, but also looks forward to the future. The best way to provide your referees with enough information to recommend you for admission is to communicate more.
Logically speaking, it is suggested that you contact references a few months before the deadline and ask them to write a letter of recommendation for you. The first communication is very short, the purpose is to ask him/her if he/she would like to write you a letter of recommendation. At the same time, set the time for the next communication in advance, one month or more.
After the first communication, you need to send a message to the referee to deepen his impression of you, so as to have a smooth second conversation. Send him a copy of your current resume and some specific information about your study at Kennedy College of Harvard University.
In the following communication, I suggest you discuss your future goals and how the Kennedy School of Harvard University can help you achieve them. In addition, it should be noted that the admission committee of Kennedy College is particularly interested in students' sense of leadership and public service. An excellent recommendation letter usually includes a summary of your previous experience and ability, as well as a reflection of your future leadership and public service awareness.
After the second communication, it is recommended to send a personal statement to the referee. All your application materials together should be like telling a story. Let the recommender read your personal statement in advance before writing, which will make your application look more coordinated and complete.
The next communication can be a few weeks before the application deadline, and this time it is mainly to remind the recommender of the application deadline and the letter submission method to confirm the recommendation. Once the application is over and your application is completed, I suggest you express your gratitude to the referees.
In a word, I suggest to communicate with the referee more here. Contact the recommender as soon as possible and communicate several times to ensure a high-quality recommendation letter.
In the future, when we hear letters of recommendation, we will also consider other aspects, such as referees and the way to submit letters of recommendation.