Crafting College Recommendation Letters

Hi, community! My teacher is confused about how to write a rec letter and asked me for help. Can anyone share how a powerful college recommendation letter should look? What key points should it cover? Any resources for samples or templates? Thanks a ton!

Absolutely, happy to lend a hand! When writing a recommendation letter, it's important to ensure the letter is personalized, specific, and compliments the rest of your application. Here's a quick overview of the ingredients of a powerful recommendation letter:

1. Introduction: It should cover who is writing the letter, how they know you, and for how long.

2. Illustrative Examples: The letter should back up claims with specific examples. For instance, instead of saying “the student is a great leader,” it should show how you displayed leadership in a certain situation.

3. Relevance: Explain why the anecdotes are relevant. It should elaborate how your skills and experiences have prepared you for the next step.

4. Personal Qualities: A powerful recommendation letter highlights qualitative attributes about you that are not easy to discern from the rest of your application.

5. Comparisons: The letter can compare you to your peers or other students the teacher has taught over the years to give further context to your achievements and personal qualities.

6. Conclusion: It should summarize why they recommend you and why they believe you'll succeed at the collegiate level.

7. Contact Information: Include the recommender's email and phone number. This gives the admissions office a chance to follow up if they have any further questions.

When drafting the letter, it's essential to remember that adcoms are interested in understanding your character, growth, resilience, passion, leadership, intellectual curiosity, and how you contribute to a community. Therefore, it would be wise to choose specific anecdotes that can demonstrate these qualities. Finally, confirm that the letter complements the rest of your portfolio, reinforcing the image you're trying to build for the admissions officers.

Remember, your teacher's goal is not to make you sound perfect. Instead, it is to offer an additional perspective that illuminates who you are as a student and a person. I hope this helps and best of luck with your applications!