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

Academic Recommendation Letters  

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 3.2
 - The student received at least an A- in my course 
 - There are no violations of the SMU ethics code for this student.

With respect to the strength of the letter, for those who have not worked with me on research projects, it will depend on their grade in my course:
 - With an A-, I will write a "good" letter - suitable only for Master's programs
 - With an A, I will write a "strong" letter - suitable for non-top20 PhD programs
 - With an A+, 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 and which course you took with me
 - The section you were enrolled and when it was (year and term)
 - Your CV 
 - Transcript from current degree with GPA
 - List of programs you consider to apply
 - Statement of purpose (only for students I am advisor).

Letters will be uploaded electronically on university portals. Students have to arrange for me to receive all the necessary info at least 10 days before the deadline at my @smu email.

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 for you. 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 that professor has the best intention, such letters will hurt your application instead of helping it.

Professional Recommendation Letters  

For non-academic references I will provide recommendations on the basis of my experience with the student, the student's professional behavior and work ethics. A grade of at least a B+ 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.