A primer on letters of recommendation

Let’s talk about letters of recommendation, AKA the things that brought out several of my biggest fears: asking for favors and people talking about me behind my back. I’m going to compartmentalize this section into two halves: one for recommenders and one for applicants.

Note: students in particular should read both sections of this piece, as the information underneath the first subheading is also important for you to know.

Information for recommenders

I’ll start by discussing how colleges evaluate rec letters, then move into expert advice on how to write an effective letter that will help get a student accepted.

It’s important to note that admissions officers begin by assigning each applicant ratings in various categories. (If you’re curious, I wrote about this process in more detail here.) Your letter will primarily factor into a student’s personal rating, but could also influence their extracurricular or academic ratings if you discuss extenuating circumstances that impacted other parts of their application. Generally speaking, students should communicate with their counselor if they want a recommender to tell colleges about a situation in their life.

Schools adopt reading procedures that their admissions officers use to determine ratings. Below are Harvard’s criteria for personal ratings, with a lower number reflecting a better score.

1. Truly outstanding qualities of character; student may display enormous courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles in life. Student may demonstrate a singular ability to lead or inspire those around them. Student may exhibit extraordinary concern or compassion for others. Student receives unqualified and unwavering support from their recommenders.

2. Very strong qualities of character; student may demonstrate strong leadership. Student may exhibit a level of maturity beyond their years. Student may exhibit uncommon genuineness, selflessness or humility in their dealings with others. Students may possess strong resiliency. Student receives very strong support from their recommenders.

3+ Above average qualities of character; Student may demonstrate leadership. Student may exhibit commitment, good judgment, and positive citizenship. Student may exercise a spirit and camaraderie with peers. Student receives positive support from their recommenders.

3. Generally positive, perhaps somewhat neutral qualities of character.

4. Questionable or worrisome qualities of character

Within this personal rating, Harvard also has specific guidelines for rec letters:

1. Strikingly unusual support. ‘The best of a career,’ ‘one of the best in many years,’ truly over the top.

2. Very strong support. ‘One of the best’ or ‘the best this year.’

3+ Well above average, consistently positive

3. Generally positive, perhaps somewhat neutral or generic

3- Somewhat neutral or slightly negative.

4. Negative or worrisome report.

I’ve heard admissions officers describe the majority of rec letters as “standard positive,” meaning they say nice things about a student, but don’t do much to move the proverbial needle. The data appears to confirm this; 78.8% of Harvard applicants earned a 3+ or 3 personal rating on the 1-4 scale.

So how do you boost a student’s rating? A consistent piece of advice I’ve read from admissions officers is that specificity is a huge component of a successful letter. The more you describe what makes an applicant unique from their peers, the easier it becomes for a college to envision them being a valuable member of the campus/classroom community.

“What’s the secret to having excellent letters of recommendation? Personalization! You cannot believe how many letters of rec I read that were blah, telling me nothing specific about the student, their personality or their aspirations,” a former admissions officer at UChicago and UC Berkeley said. “Ideally, a teacher will also assess the student’s ability compared to their peers. For example, ‘He is the single most driven student I have met in my 10 year career, and he is absolutely determined to accomplish his dreams of XYZ’ or ‘She is the brightest math student I teach across all my seven classes this year.’”

It might also be helpful to know how schools make their final decisions. Students are usually assigned to a primary admissions officer who reads each application more closely, then presents that student to a larger committee before a vote is taken. I mention this because committee presentations are essentially sales pitches, and a powerful line or vignette in your rec letter can contribute to that pitch. Everything you’ve told us for years about “showing, not telling” in our writing applies here as well. Moreover, this helps to ensure that your rec letter won’t blend in with the bajillion others an admissions officer will read on any given day.

“A lot of recs read the same, about the students’ academic exploits and what [they are] like in the classroom. The individual things we learn about an applicant are the important part, not whether you guys were close,” an admissions officer at a top-ranked school said in a Q-and-A. “So if a teacher told me about how the student has struggled, or shares an interesting story, that type of thing stays with me and reframes the entire way I look at someone. These can be extremely important. At the same time, if you have average recs, it’s really not a big deal.”

Good letters probably won’t help or hurt an applicant much, but a great one can tip the scales in their favor. If a letter accomplishes the tasks on this admissions consultant’s checklist (see below), it will likely benefit a student applying to a prestigious university.

“Great recommendation letters:

• Fit the theme of the app [in other words, do your letter and the student’s application create a cohesive image of who they are and what they would bring to that school?]
• Are not too short
• Are personal and detailed (this is the most important one)
• Use superlatives
• Avoid reservations
• Go beyond the template
• Are written by a qualified recommender
• Explain extenuating circumstances if applicable

The more of those things your letter does, the more weight it will be given. At highly selective schools, most qualified applicants have very similar transcripts, test scores, GPAs, class ranks and even activities and leadership. So a great recommendation letter can really make a huge difference.”

Lastly, remember that you’re taking time out of your already busy schedule — as woefully underpaid educators, no less — to help someone apply to college. The onus should be on students to do the heavy lifting here. If someone wants something specific from you, they should be responsible for communicating that.

On behalf of all of us who have asked or will ask for a rec letter, thank you. Your help doesn’t go unnoticed.

Information for applicants

I’ll split this section into two parts as well: who you should ask to write a rec letter and how you should ask them.

To start, you’ll need to research the application requirements for the schools on your list. For example, some want letters from two core class (English, social studies, math and science) teachers. Another common requirement is at least one letter from a STEM teacher if you applied to study engineering. A lot of people think you need to have one humanities letter and one STEM letter. While this is theoretically ideal, as is asking junior year teachers, the quality of your rec letters should take priority over who writes them unless a school is specifically requesting something. I think this admissions consultant offers solid advice on who to ask for a letter:

“In general, it doesn’t really matter what subjects they teach. What’s much more important is your relationship with the teachers. This teacher should be able to talk about your personality, work ethic and interests beyond simply saying that you got good grades.

Do: pick a teacher that you have rapport with, or who is involved in some way outside the classroom (perhaps they are your sports coach, or your supervisor for one of your clubs).

Don’t: pick a teacher just because you aced their class. If the teacher doesn’t have anything interesting to say about you, even though you did well in their class, it would be better if you picked another teacher.”

I should also mention that most schools have a way for you to send optional rec letters beyond what is required. You should only do this if you believe the additional letter(s) will add something new and valuable to your application. Speaking personally, I know a lot of debate and journalism kids, myself included, take advantage of the fact that those teachers have gotten to know us over four years, whereas most teachers only work with us for a semester or two. Keep in mind that any additional application materials you submit become more work for your admissions officer to trudge through. That’s fine if the extra work will help your cause, but there’s a saying among AOs, “the thicker the file, the thicker the applicant.”

Let’s shift from “who?” to “how?” I’ll start with the counselor recommendation, but I’m not going to spend too much time on the details here in case they change for future years. That said, if there is something you’ll be discussing in your application that you want your counselor to corroborate, or something you aren’t comfortable talking about but want colleges to know, you should absolutely communicate this to your counselor.

As for asking teachers, my main advice is to keep it real. There are tons of posts online with examples of elaborate “request letters” that, if I were a teacher, I would probably find awkward and inauthentic. In that same vein, I want to include this excerpt from an admissions consultant because it’s so true:

“Do NOT try to manipulate your teachers or counselors, suck up to them, flatter them or otherwise interact with them solely to get a strong LOR. This doesn’t work very well and is often transparent and hurtful. Forging strong relationships with teachers is worth it in its own right, but it will help your teachers know you much better when writing LORs too. Meet with them outside of class, participate in class, be engaged in activities they sponsor, etc. This shouldn’t be viewed as a manipulative or calculated approach to use them to get a great LOR. Instead, it should be viewed as a great way to find a mentor, get support, develop a valuable and rewarding relationship and make the most of your education.”

Pandemic permitting, an in-person request is probably the preferred method. Some teachers might find it helpful to have a “brag sheet” when they sit down to write your letter, but a lot of the specifics at this point really depend on the teacher. Here is a compilation of resources to help on this front.

I also want to stress the importance of giving your recommenders ample time. You should probably ask teachers by the beginning of senior year at the latest. In fact, I would say the ideal time to ask is at the end of junior year, especially if you just finished their class. Teachers are agreeing to help you on their own time; be courteous and give them some advance notice. Additionally, it might be mutually beneficial to establish a timeframe up front as far as when you need their letter by. And be polite, of course, if you’re checking in and/or reminding them about your letter later on.

Finally, please, please, please thank your recommenders. Express gratitude in some way that will resonate with them. Ultimately, they’re adding something else onto their already loaded plate because they want to help you. As always, be appreciative of the people who have helped you get to this point in your life.