Recommendation Letters

An important component of any college or scholarship application is recommendation letters. However, there are things students should be aware of as they request these from writers and as they deliver them to readers.


The first thing students need to consider is whether or not rec letters are desired in the first place. Some colleges require them as part of their application, some will consider them, and some specifically state that they do not review rec letters. My advice here is to follow instructions. No matter how amazing a rec letter made you sound, if a college says they don’t want letters, don’t send them. I once had a college admissions rep (who worked for college that did not review letters) tell me they throw away the rec letters they receive. I cannot imagine this inconvenience does anything to improve the first impression an applicant makes on an admissions department. No rec letters means no rec letters.


Conversely, if a college says they want two letters, you had better send two letters. This brings me to my next point. How do you acquire them? There are any one of a number of people in a young person’s life who might be asked to write a recommendation. At their heart, these are statements about who a person is, what their impact has been so far, and where their greatest potential lies. So, the person writing the letter should be able to speak to these elements about the subject. If there is no one in your life that can do that outside of your parents, well that’s a problem. Colleges want students who are ready to head out in the world equipped with the tools needed to be influential in the world around them. They want students with potential. If you’ve done nothing to demonstrate that potential to anyone in your four years of high school, then perhaps you haven’t done all you can to make yourself a strong college applicant. In this regard, think of high school as a four year long audition for college and the non-family members who sat on the front row during that audition are going to be the ones in the best position to write your rec letters.




I write my share of rec letters and I can write one for a goldfish if I need to do, but some of mine are better than others. Students who haven’t made much of an impression on me or for whom I just don’t have much to say are going to get a pretty basic letter. But, those students who I’ve spent a lot of time with and have demonstrated potential to me are going to get something much more detailed and thoughtful. It’s important to find the people you’ve made a connection with who can and will write you a good letter. For whatever reason students connect with different individuals. Some students create strong bonds with their counselor, but others will attach to a teacher, a coach, a principal, a church leader, or an employer. Whoever the person is that you attach to, that’s who should be writing your letter. Create those people before you need them and show them what you are capable of.