I do not provide recommendation letters for exchange programs. If you wish to apply for an exchange program, you may approach any of your teachers or instructors and kindly ask for a recommendation. 

Academic Recommendation Letters
(for past HSE students)  

I am willing to write recommendation letters for academic use for my students, mainly on the following conditions:
 - The student has a GPA of at least 7/10
 - The student received (or is projected to receive) at least an 8 in my course 
 - There are no violations of the HSE ethics code for this student.

With respect to the strength of the letter, for those who have not worked with me on their thesis, it will depend on their grade in my course:
 - With an 8, I will write a "good" letter - not suitable for PhD programs
 - With a 9, I will write a "strong" letter - not suitable for top 20 PhD programs
 - With a 10, I will write an "outstanding" letter.

For a request for recommendation, candidates must email me and provide me with the following information:
 - Your full name (in English and in Russian) and which course you took with me
 - Your group number while you were taking my course and when it was (year)
 - Your CV 
 - Transcript from current degree, your average grade, and your most recent ranking
 - List of programs you consider to apply
 - Statement of purpose (only for students I advise).

Letters will be uploaded directly to university application portals. Students have to arrange for me to receive the email invitation at least 10 days before the deadline at kmarinakis@smu.edu.sg.

Have in mind that, for consideration of your application by any decent institution, the most crucial factors in order of importance are: GRE/GMAT, letters, GPA and then everything else. Your letters have to be strong, but also written by professors who have world class publications and active presence in the international scientific community. If your target is a strong graduate degree, try to work on your projects with this kind of people to get them to know you and, thus, allow them to write a strong and convincing letter on your behalf. Select the professors that will write your letters on the following:
 - Their international reputation
 - Your performance in their courses
 - The interaction you have with them (advising, projects, common interests etc).
 
Avoid soliciting a letter from a professor who gave you a grade below your general average. Even if the professor has the best intention such letters will hurt your application instead of helping it.

Professional Recommendation Letters  

For non-academic recommendation I will serve as a reference person on the basis of my experience with the student, the student's professional behavior and work ethics. A grade of at least a 8 is necessary plus some interaction with me.
 
For a request for a business recommendation, students must provide me with the following:
 - Your full name and which course you took with me
 - The section you were enrolled and when it was (year and term)
 - Your CV 
 - Description of the vacancy.

I do not provide recommendation letters to students for professional purposes. After my permission is granted, the student can make my name and contacts available to the potential employer, who can contact me to talk about the candidate or to submit a letter directly to their corporate address.