Colleges solicit letters of recommendation as a part of the application package to get a holistic view of applicants and their academic and personal strengths beyond the grades and test scores. Admissions officers are seeking to understand, what kind of student and person you are and what kind of student are you likely to be in college. A recommendation letter is in many ways, an unbiased portrayal of your strengths and distinguishing traits as seen by someone who’s had the opportunity to observe you closely; an essay on the other hand is how you see yourself. Colleges are trying to get as complete a picture of you as possible.

 

Colleges often specify how many letters are required as well as guidance on who you get it from. Most colleges require two recommendation letters, typically from your 11th or 12th grade teachers, who are best suited to share insights about your academic work. Some colleges may allow you to submit additional supplemental letters. This is not common, and should be used only if absolutely needed bearing in mind that quantity is not equal to quality in this case. In all cases the letters are sent directly by the recommender to the college, even if it is routed via CommonApp etc. to keep the process fair and unbiased.

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Characteristics of a strong letter of recommendation

 

Before we get into who should be your recommender and how to go about asking them, let’s take a look at what do colleges look for and consider as a strong recommendation. The following characteristics, when they come together tend to make your application stronger and improve your chances of being admitted. In no particular order...

 

• Recommender is someone who knows you well and has had direct exposure to you and your work. Additionally, the recommender has seen you across multiple interactions over a period of time

• The letter explicitly calls out your core strengths and highlights distinguishing traits and conveys a strong sense of who you are in terms of your personality and focuses on qualities such as demonstrated leadership, integrity, maturity, etc. etc.

• The recommender supports their observations with anecdotes and specific examples. Using generic adjectives and saying that you are smart, intelligent, kind or helpful won’t create the same impression as the recommender quoting incidents where they had the opportunity to see you employ those skills and qualities in action

• Recommender maps your strengths to your college plans and explicitly endorses that you have their unreserved support and belief that they expect you will do well in your chosen major/college

 

Who should I ask to write my letter of recommendation? This question comes up all the time from students. The simplest answer is, ask the teacher who knows you best and can speak positively about your contributions in the classroom. Someone who will be able to highlight your academic interests and strengths in multiple settings. The teacher who thinks highly of you and knows you well will be ale to do the above in a natural way. Irrespective of who you ask and how well they may know you, you should share with them your interests, your achievements, your college plans as this will help them to write and share specific examples which are contextually relevant and strengthen your case.

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Advice to students...

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• While it is customary to request a couple of letters of recommendation, each college is different, and the requirements may vary from college to college. Colleges will provide guidelines on who should submit, how should it be submitted etc. They may also specify that recommendations have to come from teachers of specific subjects. Please make sure to check and ensure that you are following the prescribed guidelines for each college

• Students should also make sure they're asking recent teachers for recommendations, as these teachers can speak to your journey through high school as well as share the most current insights

• Seek opportunities to work closely with your potential recommender so that they are able to see you at your best. This will influence their comments as well as give them ammunition to call out relevant details and specific examples

• Your teacher may know you, but they will not remember all the details in the midst of writing letters for many students. Help them by sharing a neatly compiled list of all your strengths and achievements so that they have the right information at their disposal while writing your letter

• Make sure you are providing enough variety across your recommenders. Your essay is on Chemistry and your recommendation letters are all from your Chemistry teachers – doesn’t tell the admissions officers much beyond your love for Chemistry

• Discuss and communicate your college plans so that the recommender can map your strengths to your chosen program or area of study

• Your teachers and counselors write these letters on your behalf and it behooves you to be polite and courteous. Give them enough time by planning properly and don’t forget to mention that you really appreciate it. Even a simple Thank You note written with care goes a long way.

 

 

Obtaining high-quality letters of recommendation is a process in itself and one that takes both time and planning. But a strong, well-written letter of recommendation can help you considerably in moving the needle closer towards getting admitted.

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College & Me is a series of articles featuring useful information about College Admissions for undergraduate and graduate degree programs in US colleges.

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