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Letters of recommendation can make or break your college application. As a parent, you play a crucial role in your child’s college admissions process, and one key element is securing impactful letters of recommendation. These letters provide admissions committees with insights into your child’s character, abilities and potential contributions.
College admissions officers use recommendation letters to understand who you are beyond test scores and grades. These letters provide crucial insights into:
Many students sabotage their recommendation letters by asking freshman or sophomore year teachers who haven’t seen their recent growth and maturity. Others make the fatal error of choosing teachers based solely on the grade they received rather than the depth of relationship they built – an A+ student who never spoke in class will get a generic letter that hurts more than it helps. Here’s the golden rule: Choose people who know you well and can provide specific examples of your character, growth, and potential.
Best choices for academic recommendations can be:
Consider these additional perspectives:
The end of junior year is the best time for you to speak about letters of recommendation. This is because teachers have fresh, comprehensive memories of your entire academic year’s performance – they’ve observed your intellectual growth, seen how you handle challenges, and witnessed your interactions with classmates over months of consistent engagement. This timing also gives you the entire senior year to continue strengthening these crucial relationships while providing recommenders with a full summer to thoughtfully reflect on your journey and craft compelling narratives.
But here’s the crucial part: Outstanding recommendation letters don’t happen overnight. What admissions officers really want to see are the authentic voices from people who genuinely know you as both a student and a person. A teacher who can say “I’ve watched X transform from a quiet student to a confident leader who helps struggling classmates” is infinitely more valuable than one who simply reports “X earned an A in my class.”They’re built on genuine relationships that develop throughout the school year.
The approach that gets yes: When you’re ready to make your request, schedule a brief in-person conversation or send a thoughtful email that demonstrates the genuine relationship you’ve built. Always give them an easy way to decline by asking if they feel comfortable writing you a strong letter – this question signals that you understand the commitment involved and respect their professional judgment.
Be prepared when asking for recommendations: Once they agree, immediately provide a comprehensive information packet that makes their job as easy as possible while giving them rich material to craft a compelling letter. This packet should include your resume, transcript, personal statement draft, and most importantly, a detailed brag sheet that highlights your accomplishments in their specific class.
Pro tip: Meeting in-person with your recommenders is always more effective than email because it allows for genuine conversation about your goals, and makes it harder for them to say no when they can see your enthusiasm and sincerity face-to-face.
Teach your child the importance of expressing gratitude by sending thank-you notes to recommenders. Follow up with recommenders to ensure letters are submitted on time, especially for colleges with different deadlines.
Letters of recommendation hold considerable weight in the college admissions process, and by guiding your child through the selection and interaction with recommenders, you can help ensure that these letters have the most impact on their college applications.
