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A. Pettit: Policies for Letters of Recommendation
 
I will gladly consider writing letters of recommendation for students who meet the following criteria and observe
the following protocols.
 
1.        For undergraduates and post-baccalaureates seeking admission to graduate school:
            *.          Minimum ENGL GPA of 3.7
            *.          Grade of “A” in all classes taken with me
            *.          Submission of a statement of purpose (i.e., “why I want to attend graduate school”) that I find
                          well-written  and persuasive         
            *.          Minimum one-month lead time
 2.        For undergraduates and post-baccalaureates seeking jobs at ISD’s:
            *.          Minimum English GPA of 3.5
            *.          Minimum grade of “B” in all classes taken with me
            *.          Submission of a statement of purpose (i.e., “why I want to teach”) that I find well-written
                         and persuasive
            *.          Minimum one-month lead time
3.        For graduate students applying  to different graduate programs:
            *.          Minimum ENGL GPA of 3.7
            *.          Grade of “A” in all classes taken with me
            *.          Minimum one-month lead time
4.        For graduate students applying for intramural grants, fellowships, and awards:
            *.          Minimum graduate GPA of 3.7
            *.          Grade of “A” in all classes taken with me
            *.          Submission of a statement of purpose (i.e., “why I merit this honor”) that I find well-written
                         and persuasive           
            *.          Minimum one-month lead time       
 5.        For M.A.’s seeking jobs at community colleges:
            *.          Minimum graduate GPA of 3.7
            *.          Grade of “A” in all classes taken with me
            *.          Submission of a statement of purpose (i.e., “why I want to teach”) that I find well-written
                         and persuasive           
            *.          Minimum one-month lead time
 6.        For Ph.D.’s or Ph.D. candidates seeking professorships:
            *.          Recent coursework with me
            *.          Grade of “A” in all classes taken with me
            *.          Submission of a chapter from the dissertation that I find well-researched, well-written,
                         properly documented, and persuasive    
            *.          Minimum one-month lead time
            *.          Additionally, you must have demonstrated to me the sort of civility, decency, and commitment
                        to hard work that are the bulwarks of the profession of letters.
            *.          NB: normally, I do not write letters for students on whose doctoral committees I have not served.

All requests for letters of recommendation must include the numbers of the courses that you have taken with me and the
semesters in which you have taken the courses (e.g., ENGL 4300, Fall 2004).
 
Please contact me at Alex.Pettit@unt.edu if you wish to request a letter of recommendation.