Letter of Recomendation
A College Recommendation Letter is an endorsement of a college applicant that is written to bolster chances for admission. Recommendation letters are brief, formal statements that should highlight positive qualities and explain why the candidate will be successful in college studies.
Though friends or family might be able to sing the applicant’s praises, the best letters are usually written by teachers or employers.
What to Include
This letter should provide key details about the relationship between recommender and applicant, and highlight the applicant’s positive attributes. It should include:
Why Use a College Recommendation
Letter?Many colleges require recommendation letters from applicants. But even if recommendations are not a strict necessity, they can help to build the case for admission.
These letters matter for what they say, but they also add some default value to an application just for being included. Even if the admissions committee does not carefully read recommendation letters, they are likely to note that they were included with the application, and that the applicant in the kind of person who can drum up recommendations – a positive quality all its own.
Who to Select?
A teacher, coach, or counselor are ideal choices and should be able to state key facts about the student including being able to describe their personality traits, work habits, and skills. Furthermore, the individual chosen by the student should be someone that they have had a relationship with outside the hours of school such as part of a volunteer program, sports team, or academic club.An advantage to this is that Colleges and Universities understand that, on top of a full curriculum, having other activities take away from schoolwork. Therefore, if it comes down to an application with a generic reference versus another with an authentic reference, the latter will most likely get the nod.
Though friends or family might be able to sing the applicant’s praises, the best letters are usually written by teachers or employers.
What to Include
This letter should provide key details about the relationship between recommender and applicant, and highlight the applicant’s positive attributes. It should include:
- An explanation of how the recommender came to know the applicant
- Salient positive qualities possessed by the applicant relevant to success in college
- Anecdotes illustrating the character and competence of the applicant
Why Use a College Recommendation
Letter?Many colleges require recommendation letters from applicants. But even if recommendations are not a strict necessity, they can help to build the case for admission.
These letters matter for what they say, but they also add some default value to an application just for being included. Even if the admissions committee does not carefully read recommendation letters, they are likely to note that they were included with the application, and that the applicant in the kind of person who can drum up recommendations – a positive quality all its own.
Who to Select?
A teacher, coach, or counselor are ideal choices and should be able to state key facts about the student including being able to describe their personality traits, work habits, and skills. Furthermore, the individual chosen by the student should be someone that they have had a relationship with outside the hours of school such as part of a volunteer program, sports team, or academic club.An advantage to this is that Colleges and Universities understand that, on top of a full curriculum, having other activities take away from schoolwork. Therefore, if it comes down to an application with a generic reference versus another with an authentic reference, the latter will most likely get the nod.