This one is for the teachers. A college should not deny a student just because their letters of recommendation do not "pop." However, if your letter does shine, it could make a difference. See, committees are looking for reasons to admit students, and after all the numbers, it comes down to what we say about them. If, after reading the letter, does the committee feel the student would fit on their campus, and more importantly, their classes? This is why your letter is so important. Here are some guidelines to help you support the student. Rule #1 - Do not agree to write a letter if you do not support a student. If you do not feel you can write a letter about the student, tell him or her so. It is far better that they find someone else rather than have you try to piece something together than might be inauthentic or insincere. The same goes if you have too many requests for letters. Tell the students they need to ask another teacher. Rule #2 - Do not say negative things about the student. This is a letter of recommendation, not a open critique of their past. Focus on the positives. If you must address poor performance or a mistake, talk about what the student did to overcome that barrier. However, even that is not ideal in the grand scheme of things. Highlight their strengths. Rule #3 - Do not use the same letter for multiple students. The same person will read letters about all applicants in a region, so if you write "XX is the best student I have this year!" and three of your students apply to YY University, all applicants risk their letters being dismissed as "fluff." Enough of the Do Nots. Let's focus on the Do's Rule #4 - Do make it personal and use examples. Find an anecdote or situation that makes this student unique/stand out/special. Saying they participated in class and were "good students" does little to help them shine. State a characteristic and back it up with several details. See the resources below for words you can use. After a few letters, you will need some variety! And remember, less is more. A couple of key examples is far better than a laundry list of qualities with no evidence. Rule #5 - Have someone read your letter Pick a spouse, department member, or counselor, and have them read the letter. You may not have meant something the way it sounded, but if only you have read it, you might not know. Grammar and word usage should be correct and professional, though they are not supposed to ding the student for your writing. Just do what you can to make it good for them. If you cannot, refer to rule #1. Resources: Word List Word List 2 Hierarchy of Words Adjectives Below is a video that will explain many of the major points of letter writing. Your time is valuable, and at 12 minutes this may seem long. However, I posit that the more you know, the smoother writing letters will be, and therefore, this should save you time in the long run.
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AuthorOlder blog posts were for the UCLA Ext course "Using the Internet for College Counseling" Archives
February 2023
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