How should Indian students applying to NUS MIM or Singapore master's programs approach letters of recommendation?

Approach professors whose subjects you have performed well in or with whom you have worked closely on a project, lab, or research activity. Tell them directly that you are applying for a master's program abroad and that you will need a letter of recommendation, give them as much advance notice as possible, ideally two to three months before the deadline. Provide them with your CV, your SOP draft, and a brief note about why you are applying to this specific program and what you want the letter to highlight about your work with them.

• Professors who write letters based on a detailed briefing produce better letters than those who are left to decide on their own what to write.
• The strongest letters are from supervisors who can speak specifically to your academic capabilities, your intellectual curiosity, and your performance relative to other students they have taught.
• Letters from senior professionals or industry mentors are also valuable if you have had a substantive working relationship.
• What makes a letter weak is vagueness, a letter that says a student was hardworking and performed well adds little because it could apply to any candidate.