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"Hey, remember me?" Who to ask for a college recommendation, and why.Aug 21 '00 Write an essay on this topic.It's a dilemma many high school seniors face - the dreaded "Who the heck will recommend me?" question. Poring over your high school transcript, you automatically look for the teacher who gave you an "A," or someone who taught you a class in a field of study you wish to pursue at college. Perhaps you pick a teacher who graduated from that one college you'd give your firstborn child to be able to attend. Or maybe, if you didn't do so well in high school, you decide to get your city's mayor or your Congressman to write a recommendation. While these may seem like viable options, I firmly believe any one of the above would be a terrible mistake. Based on my experience, it's best to select teachers and community members who know you best, period. ************************************************************************** The following is part of a "Back to School Writeoff," organized by Kinganamort. Please be sure to check out the epinions of the following writers, my worthy competitors: braggio, chickenyell, irishma4, kinganamort, madyl, magenta321, mattjoe, nylawgirl, prepoia, shan1, and smussyolay ************************************************************************** So I got a "C" in chemistry, but Dr. Porter sure seems to like me anyhow. Don't be tempted to select a teacher who gives you an A every time you turn in an assignment. Well, that is, unless you're a straight A student. Often, the teachers in whose classes you struggle a bit get to know you better than those who pass out A's. Do you want a recommendation from someone who can comment on your personality and your real efforts to succeed, or from someone who never got to know you because you weren't challenged enough in their class? As far as I'm concerned, grades don't even need to be brought into the letter - the teacher is there to comment on your propensity for success and your personal character, not how well you achieved in their class. Don't be tempted to call up your Congressperson ... unless you know him/her very well. As someone who's now worked in a Congressional office for 8 months, I've seen my fair share of high school students who would like the Congressman's help in getting accepted to college. A few of these people had real ties to the Congressman (one former intern, one family friend) and he was more than happy to write a letter of support. However, most of these people had absolutely no ties to him other than the fact they lived in his District. In such cases, he politely declines writing the letter. He, as well as many public officials, realize it would be a waste of time to comment on a student he's never personally met. Think about it - would you really want to put your name on the line and vouch for someone you've never seen before? Instead of asking a public official you have no contact with, consider a clergy member (if you're familiar with one), a former boss, a guidance counselor, a team coach, a club advisor, or the coordinator of a volunteer project you spent a lot of time on. The opportunities are endless: just make sure it's someone who can uniquely comment on different aspects of your personality. Ultimately, it's not who you know, but how well you know them. You could get a letter of recommendation from the most famous person in America, but it wouldn't mean a hill of beans unless he knew you really well and could comment on several aspects of your personality. In fact, from what I've witnessed, colleges disregard any canned, impersonal recommendations from "famous" people, especially famous people who previously attended that college. It's the "little people" who count - those who have been a part of your life nearly every day for more than a week. That's not to say that alumni recommendations won't help, because in some instances they do. But for Pete's sake, make sure that alum knows you really well and can confidently tell the admissions office that you would fit in well at their school. Twenty recommendations really aren't that impressive. In the case of college recommendations, less is more. Colleges would rather see 2 or 3 in-depth and personal recommendations, than 10 recommendations from alumni, public officials, and anyone else that agreed to write a letter on your behalf. The admissions officers want to get to know you , both through your personal statement and your letters of recommendation. This surely won't be accomplished if you have 10 letters sent in, 8 of which are totally canned and closely resemble one another. Strive for recommendations that will highlight different aspects of your personality (one from a teacher who particularly challenged you, one from a boss who can comment on your work ethic, etc). If that means you only submit 2, fine. If that means you submit 5, that's ok as well. Just make sure they're all original, from people who really know you well. All in all, your letter of recommendation should buttress your application. You can try to convince the admissions officers what a great person you are through your own personal statement, but your argument will hold a lot more water if you can find recommenders who will make the same arguments on their own. Save yourself a lot of heartache and worrying by selecting individuals you're comfortable with and who you know will write you a favorable recommendation. If their eyes light up when you ask and they excitedly agree to write a letter, you're golden. After all, by asking people who know you best, you've got friends on your side who will do everything in their power to help you get admitted to the school of your dreams.  |
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