This video will help you, and whomever you approach for a letter of recommendation, to understand the impact of recommendations on your overall college application. The overarching goal of a great letter of recommendation is to tell a story about the student.

Important to Note:

  • Colleges are looking for how a student ‘fits’ into their institution by helping admissions officers to better understand the student.
  • Provides a context for more fully understanding a student’s application
  • Focus of Teacher Recommendation: Tell a story about the student and their performance and engagement in class and within the high school.
  • Focus of Counselor Recommendation: Provide a context of the school, community, available opportunities, and how student maximized available opportunities.
  • Intangibles: Teamwork, what student brings to the college community, how did student engage in their studies, how did they participate in the classroom experience, what the student brought to the classroom, academic and social maturity, passion for learning. Challenges the student has faced and obstacles the student has overcome.
  • What makes the student stands out?
  • The recommendation should be personalized about the student and does not have to suggest that the student is the ‘best’ student, but should reaffirm that the student is a ‘good’ person and would be a good ‘fit’ for the college or scholarship.