Plan college recommendation letters early and carefully.
College recommendation letters can be as important to school acceptance as essays. A good recommendation letter describes who the student is and brings the applicant alive for the reviewer. It rounds out the transcripts and statistics found on the application. Although recommendation letters should show a variety of characteristics such as academics and extracurricular interests, avoid sending more recommendation letters than a college requests.
Letter Content
Components needed in a college recommendation letter include superior academic achievement; extracurricular activities; outstanding personal qualities; interest, participation and dedication to a particular field; and the writer's confidence in the student's abilities. Consider breaking these areas into letters written by more than one person. For instance, a math or English teacher might speak to academics, abilities and involvement in a particular field. A coach or club adviser might write a letter regarding extracurricular activities and outstanding personal qualities. It is not necessary to include grades in recommendation letters; they are reported in the student's transcript.
Additional Details
A college recommendation letter should not exceed one page or be generic. Each letter should include individual details about the student. A good letter should utilize descriptive adjectives and speak to specific traits the applicant has demonstrated to the writer. It should be personal.
Helpful Hints
Meet with teachers to present your request.
Give teachers and advisers at least one month to complete recommendation letters. Supply addressed, stamped envelopes to the college. Waive your right on the college application to view recommendation letters to increase your credibility. Include an information sheet, detailing specific projects or assignments completed, along with a deadline date for the letter's receipt. Follow up with teachers one week before the deadline to see if they need additional information, and always write thank-you notes to letter writers.
Help Individualize Letters
Make it as easy as possible to write a good letter. Meet with teachers and advisers to present a request for a recommendation letter. Review the information sheet to answer any questions and note individual achievements. School personnel may be asked to write numerous letters each year and may not recall the specifics about each student. A personal meeting helps assure individual content in a recommendation letter.
Other Recommendations
A college recommendation is key to an application's success.
A recommendation from a family friend, student's employer or alumnus of the college should be requested in the same manner as a teacher recommendation. A brief information sheet detailing accomplishments with stamped, addressed envelopes should be provided to the writer. These people may be less familiar with writing recommendation letters than school personnel, so it may be helpful to include a sample letter.
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