研究所推薦函的撰寫要點

推薦信不只是讚美文，而是精準的觀察報告

針對研究所申請所撰寫的推薦信，不能只停留在「他很認真」、「她表現很好」這類安全又空洞的形容詞上。真正有說服力的信，得能抓出申請者在三個關鍵層面上的表現：學術能力、研究潛力，以及與人共事的能力。

學術能力可以從他在課堂中解讀複雜理論的速度、或獨立完成閱讀報告的深度來判斷；研究潛力，則可以透過他在專題或實驗設計上的創意與堅持被體現出來。而團隊合作能力，往往藏在細節裡——他是否願意聆聽別人的建議？是否能在小組裡自然扮演協調者或推動者的角色？

撰寫時，推薦人最重要的不是堆砌華麗語句，而是選對切入點，用自己真實的經驗去「畫出」一個立體的人。選一兩個關鍵場景，講出他怎麼做決策、怎麼處理困難、怎麼和別人互動。這種「有畫面、有細節」的推薦，比起一長串泛泛之詞，更能打動審查委員。

畢竟，教授們看過太多模板，他們要找的，不是誰講得最用力，而是誰講得最真實。

推薦函範例解析

範例一：學術導師推薦信

適用對象：理工科系、已有研究經驗的申請人
推薦人身分：指導教授

原文：

To the Admissions Committee,

I am writing with great enthusiasm to recommend Ms. Alice Wu for admission to your Master’s program in Mechanical Engineering. As Alice’s undergraduate thesis advisor for the past year, I have had ample opportunity to observe her intellectual curiosity, dedication, and ability to independently pursue challenging research topics.

Alice joined my lab in her third year and quickly distinguished herself as one of the most proactive and self-motivated students I’ve worked with. For her thesis, she investigated the thermal stability of biodegradable polymer composites—a project that required not only extensive literature review but also the design of customized experimental setups. Alice handled both aspects with exceptional care and rigor.

Beyond technical skills, Alice brings a thoughtful, collaborative spirit to the research environment. She often initiated discussions with graduate students, volunteered to help others troubleshoot lab equipment, and even helped streamline our sample tracking system.

I am confident that Alice will thrive in a demanding graduate program. She is not only academically prepared but also deeply driven by scientific curiosity. I strongly recommend her without reservation.

Sincerely,
Prof. Daniel Kuo
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University

解析與優點

1. 開場白清晰，不拐彎抹角：

“I am writing with great enthusiasm…”
這不是模板式的句子，而是自然地傳達熱情。接著立即點出推薦人的身分（thesis advisor），建立信任感。

2. 說「怎麼做」，不是「做了什麼」：

“She investigated… required not only… but also…”
這段強調過程中主動設計實驗、文獻蒐集，展現了研究能力而非單純的結果。

3. 展現人際特質和主動性：

“She often initiated discussions… helped streamline…”
這不是流水帳，而是以具體行為暗示她在團隊裡的價值與貢獻，讓她看起來不只是一個「完成作業的學生」。

4. 結尾語氣有力但不浮誇：

“I strongly recommend her without reservation.”
這樣的句式雖常見，但放在全文鋪陳之後，顯得自然且有說服力。

範例二：職場主管推薦信

適用對象：轉職型研究所申請者、有工作經驗者
推薦人身分：行銷部門主管

原文：

To whom it may concern,

I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Mr. Eric Lin, who served as a marketing associate under my supervision at Vocus Tech from 2021 to 2023. During that time, Eric consistently impressed me with his analytical mindset, adaptability, and genuine eagerness to learn—traits I believe make him an excellent candidate for your business analytics graduate program.

In our team, Eric was tasked with performance tracking for over 20 product campaigns. But what made him stand out was his ability to go beyond reporting. He developed a custom dashboard to automate ROI analysis, reducing our team’s weekly reporting time by nearly 40%. He also initiated a data-cleaning protocol that helped resolve several long-standing attribution inconsistencies.

Eric’s communication skills are equally notable. He often acted as the bridge between the data team and creative leads, translating technical insights into actionable suggestions. This ability to think strategically while remaining grounded in data made him one of the most valued members of the team.

While Eric is now pursuing a different path, I have no doubt that he will approach his graduate studies with the same drive, clarity, and thoughtfulness he brought to our organization. I wholeheartedly support his application.

Best regards,
Jessica Chao
Marketing Director, Vocus Tech

解析與優點

1. 開場先補上背景資訊，讓讀者不需要猜測關係：

“…under my supervision at Vocus Tech from 2021 to 2023.”
這不是無關緊要的年份，而是讓評審知道這段關係是夠長、也夠深入的。

2. 刻畫具體成果，並量化價值：

“…reducing our team’s weekly reporting time by nearly 40%.”
只說「他很有效率」遠不如提供量化成果這麼有力。這種描述會讓人想：「哦，這個人真的能幫上忙。」

3. 跨部門溝通力的描寫自然不造作：

“…acted as the bridge between the data team and creative leads…”
這裡不是一句「他有很強的溝通能力」，而是用角色扮演的方式來體現這項特質。

4. 結尾重點不只是支持，而是補充人格特質：

“…drive, clarity, and thoughtfulness…”
這三個詞選得漂亮──代表效率（drive）、邏輯（clarity）、人際或團隊合作的細膩（thoughtfulness）。