What are Letters of Recommendations?
A crucial element to the college application process, especially when applying for private schools on the CommonApp, is the letter of recommendation that you are sending to your schools.
Your letter of recommendation could be from your counselor, teacher, advisor, coach, etc. They could be someone personal to you, such as a sibling or friend. They could also be someone in your academic life, such as your teacher or counselor. They could also be someone in your work/professional life as well as someone from your extracurricular activities, including your coach, manager, boss, advisor, etc. When submitting your letter of recommendation to CommonApp, also make sure to waive your FERPA rights, which means you can’t read or see the LOR written for you. Otherwise, they would lack credibility and be useless to the college admission officers.
Here are some pieces of advice on your letters of recommendation:
Think critically about who you want to ask, especially if you’re limited to a few recommendations. Usually, you would ask someone who you’re close to or who has seen your growth. You could ask your favorite teacher or counselor, who you’ve built a strong bond and connection with: someone whose class you’ve been heavily engaged, whether it be in discussions and questions or one you talk a lot to inside and outside of the classroom.
Don’t be afraid to ask the people you have in mind! Remember that you want these letters of recommendation to be specific to you and show a positive outlook on your character and personality. If you don’t, your recommender might just write a generic letter that’s not specific and one that the college admissions may have seen for other applicants.
Have your brag sheet ready. List down your accomplishments/awards, goals, and experiences with your teacher or learning in that class. This will serve as a reminder for all of those, which they could reflect back on when they’re writing your letter of recommendation.
Ask EARLY! This gives your recommender more time to think, focus, and write your letter of recommendation the best they can. Ideally, you would ask 3-4 weeks before the deadline. Bonus points if you asked at the beginning of the year.
Make sure to keep these in mind for the letter of recommendations section! These also apply to scholarship applications that require letters of recs!