Biology Scholarship Letters of Recommendation

Colleges & Universities Indiana University - Bloomington
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My daughter has been accepted to IU for Fall 2024 as a Biology major. When she completed the scholarship application she was invited to submit the SSA as well as an application for funding from the Department of Biology. Part of the Biology application is naming science faculty members who are willing to write letters of recommendation for her.

As a high school senior, what is the best route for her to connect with science faculty who may be willing to take the time to do this? It seems strange that they would write letters for students they don’t know or have any experience with, but it is required for these awards.

Thanks in advance for any advice or guidance you may have to share! Or any leads on faculty who may be willing to do so for a prospective pre-med Biology major.

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Can you post the exact wording of the instructions? What does SSA stand for?

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SSA is the Selective Scholarship Application which is an invitation after the General Scholarship Application. The Biology awards are specific to the college she was admitted to.

This is the wording for the required letters:

  1. Submit the names of one or more science faculty members or postdocs who have agreed to write you a letter of recommendation. Letters MUST be written by science faculty members or postdocs (not graduate students).The “IU Scholarships” portal will contact your recommenders to request a letter, but we recommend that you contact potential letter writers before you submit their names to the portal to make sure that they are willing and able to write a letter for you.Most awards require a single letter, but a few require two letters. See the individual departmental award descriptions below for details.
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This request is odd for an incoming freshman. It is normal for someone who is a current student there. Is this SSA application also used for other biology scholarships, such as those for continuing students? If so, it makes sense that it would be part of the application in general. I can’t imagine that they actually want incoming freshmen to do this. I’d have your daughter contact the biology undergrad advising office to ask them about it.

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I agree that it is strange for an incoming freshman to get blind recommendations. I will advise her to reach out to the department for further guidance. Thank you for your feedback!

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