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The Paper Chase - Getting a Recommendation That GlowsApr 18 '00 (Updated May 21 '00) Write an essay on this topic.As you can infer from my "name," I am a law student. So, as the saying goes: been there, done that. I have asked for recommendations for college and for law school. Recommendations are an important part of your application package. Your grades and test scores are the two more important elements. However, never discount the influence a stellar recommendation can have on the admission committee's decision. So, how does one get one of these stellar recommendations? How do you know if you received a stellar recommendation or a written brush-off? Those answers and more next. 1) Stalking Your Prey: Choosing the Writers. I went to a small college that afforded me with the opportunity to get to know my professors well and allow them to get to know me and my work well. This made the task of choosing the writers a great deal easier. Your recommender should know your name. You think that sounds obvious but, to a lot of people, it isn't. Many people are tempted to get a recommendation from the popular or big name professor/teacher on campus. If this "name" doesn't know yours, you are going to get a shallow recommendation that says nothing about who you are as a person or why the committee should accept your application. Go to writers who know you and your accomplishments well. This could be someone who gave you an A or it may not be. But, beware of getting a letter from someone who has graded you poorly, for they may add a few qualifiers to their letter. These qualifiers could cast a shadow over your application. When you have chosen your recommenders, go to their office and talk to them. Ask them if they would be willing to write a letter for you. If they say no, you will be disappointed but move on to someone else. If they say yes, you are ready to go. Tell them that you will come back in a day or two with the materials. Have the materials ready before you ask them for the recommendation so that they process can move as swiftly as possible. 2) Campaign Season: The Recommendation Folder. If you think that all you are going to hand your professor/teacher is the recommendation form, you better sit down. Applying to schools is a campaign. You have to put your best possible self forward to people who will probably not meet you personally. When you are putting together what you are giving to your letter writer, this is what I suggest: A) Two-Sleeve Folder. Presentation is the key in this whole process. If you show your recommender that detail is important to you, it will become important to them. And detail-oriented is a great adjective for them to write in your letter. B) The Recommendation Form. Self-explanatory. C) Your Personal Statement/Essay. This other essential element of your application shows a side of you that is not reflected anywhere else in the application. This personal element is something that your writer can show in their recommendation that gives their letter greater impact. It also gives the application consistency. It shows that you gave thought to the construction of your application. D) Resume. If you are in college, you have probably engaged in a number of internships, part-time jobs, volunteer and on-campus activities. If you don't already have a resume, put one together. If you are not sure how to format one, go to your career services center and find someone who can help you put one together or find out if they hold seminars on how to write a resume. You will be including one in your application (Don't supplement this for what you will write in the activities/work sections of your application. Repeat yourself. Never leave a blank on an application. If it doesn't apply to you, write "Not Applicable" or "N/A.") Why give a resume to the writer? So your recommender can show the committee that you are more than a GPA. If you are in high school, you can include a looser form of a resume. Give a listing of school activities, part-time jobs, volunteer experiences, offices held, etc... . Why? See the above paragraph. E) The Why Essay. If you are applying to grad programs, you probably have specific career and educational goals. Give the writer an essay (no longer than a page) on why you want to go to grad school, what you hope to accomplish, what your career goals are. If your recommender is willing to write a separate letter for a specific school, you can include an additional essay on why you want to be admitted to their program. The first essay shows that you have given thought to going to graduate school and that it is not a spontaneous decision. Committees want serious candidates. Show them that are one. The second essay shows the committee that you have researched their program and are, therefore, seriously interested in their school. All schools like to think that they are the number one choice. Show them that you think so, too. If you are applying to colleges, you can include only the second essay. If you have a very compelling reason that is not addressed elsewhere in your application (read: the personal statement), you can include the first essay. Compelling reasons? For example, you have always wanted to be a doctor, a lawyer, an architect, etc and this will help you accomplish that goal. Or, you are the first person in your family with the opportunity to go to college and college will afford you opportunities your family didn't have. If, however, you are going because everyone else in your family did and so should you, stick with the second essay. Neither should be too long (more than a page) but should communicate your points clearly. It is all about presentation. 3)The Follow-up. Give your recommenders a deadline by which you need the letter. To help them make this deadline, always ask your recommenders as early as possible -- within the first month of the fall semester is recommender. But always give a deadline. Then go back on that date. If the recommendation is not ready, emphasize the importance of sending your applications out complete and early. If they say another week or another few days, agree to it and leave. Then, within a few days of this second deadline, email them a reminder (be firm, not rude). If your recommender continues to push the deadline back, continue to follow-up but start looking for another writer (You should have a backup lined up from the beginning to avoid a last-minute scramble.) Once you have the recommendation in your hands or, you have confirmed it was received by the school -- if it was sent to the school be the writer directly, send them a thank you note. Thank them for their time and effort. Promise to let them know where you will be attending (And do let them know). Final Comment: Most recommendation forms ask you to waive access to the letter. Do it. But if you are dying to know what each writer wrote about you, do this: Include in each folder an extra recommendation form for a school you are not considering (a form that will be returned to you directly). When you get the recommendations back, open this letter. If you find that your recommender was less than glowing in their recommendation of you (a very rare occurrence), you can use your backup recommender to supplement the less-than-helpful one. If you get back a good recommendation, you can be confident in knowing that this part of your package will serve you well.  |
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