The Exceptional Letter of Recommendation

By Quetzal Mama • June 12, 2013

The Exceptional Letter of Recommendation
Copyright 2013 Roxanne Ocampo

High school students typically perceive the Letter of Recommendation (LOR) as a task item – just a formality to comply with an application requirement.  Trivializing the significance of the LOR can be a gamble.  Many times, all things being equal, the LOR can boost the overall candidate ranking for college admission or scholarship consideration.  A strong LOR may shift the perspective of the Admissions Counselor or Scholarship Committee in favor of the candidate.  Perhaps a detail or circumstance not disclosed elsewhere in the application is emphasized in the letter.  This detail may boost the overall score – thus leading to a positive outcome.

Before we delve into the specifics of LOR’s, it is important to understand who the letter is intended for, and why it is required.  First, know that the LOR is not required for University of California (UC) campuses, nor California State University (CSU) campuses.  Although most scholarships require three letters of recommendation, not all require letters.  Although the UC’s and CSU’s do not require LORs, private colleges utilizing the Common Application require letters from two high school teachers and one secondary counselor.  The three LORs uploaded to the student’s Common Application go to all of the schools they are applying.

Why is the LOR required?  The most obvious reason is that it serves as an endorsement from a credible source.  In a nutshell, it is like saying, “I personally back up Guadalupe.  I think she would be a great addition to your campus.”  However, admissions folks know that an endorsement from a teacher or counselor is not that difficult to obtain.  Therefore, they glean additional information from the LOR that may not be apparent within the candidate’s applicant materials.  What type of information?  We will get to that in a moment (see Tip #6 below).

My description above of how the LOR is used is pretty straightforward.  However, every year when students show me their LORs for my review and editing, I see the same problematic patterns.  The problem with the LOR is that there are many overlooked factors by the recommenders.  Some of these factors include the following:

·       Recommenders (typically teachers) are not familiar with the criteria that Admissions Counselors seek.  Therefore, they tend to include information they feel is appropriate.

·       Recommenders are unaware of the increased competitiveness through which applicant materials are considered.  Therefore, they may not give credence to the importance of crafting an exceptional LOR.

·       Recommenders often compose LORs that read like a resume.  I’ve even seen some well meaning teachers provide students with a fill-in-the-blanks template!

·       The LOR content is the result of the recommender’s recollection.  Remember, most public high school teachers have 32 to 35 students per class, 5 classes per day, 10 months per year.  It is difficult for many teachers to recall unique or specific details about every student.  This factor is problematic because this is precisely what the admission folks want – the details!

So, what can a student do to avoid these problems?  Quetzal Mama’s got your back!  Follow Quetzal Mama’s six (6) tips for an impressive LOR.

Tip #1 – Target the Right Evaluator.

Students ask me if they may submit a LOR from their “Tio Nacho,” their 4th grade teacher, the neighbor they babysit for, or the owner of the pet store they work at during the weekends.  No, no, no, and no.  The instruction to students on the Common Application regarding appropriate recommenders reads as follows:   “. . . a teacher who has taught you an academic subject.”  Therefore, the recommender must be a teacher who has taught the student in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

 I recommend students obtain one LOR from an AP or IB teacher in the discipline they are pursuing as an undergraduate.  For example, if Blanca intends to major in Computer Science, then she will want at least one letter from her Honors Pre-Calculus or AP Calculus teacher (if she has taken this course).  For the second teacher, Blanca may consider a non hard science recommender – perhaps her AP English or AP U.S. History teacher.  Since guidance counselors are generally assigned according to the last name of the student, students do not typically have leverage in selecting which counselor will write their LOR.  Therefore, students will be required to ask their assigned counselor for their LOR.
 
Tip #2 – Plan One School Year Ahead.

Students will be asking two teachers for a LOR in the fall of their senior year.  For this reason, I recommend students obtain a LOR from their 11th grade teachers, since they would have taught them one full academic school year.  A LOR from a 12th grade teacher would not be as impressive since the teacher would only have taught them a few months.  It is very important that students plan one year ahead in preparation for the teacher and counselor LORs.  Students should form relationships with these individuals through scheduled meetings, sharing of research projects and/or term papers, asking targeted questions, or having general discussions.  The point of building this relationship is to stand out in the teacher or counselor’s mind by conveying intellectual curiosity, demonstrating commitment to future educational goals, and demonstrating maturity level.  When the time comes for the evaluation, the student can remind the evaluator about these conversations:

“remember when we had that discussion about my research in . . .”

“remember our talk about . . .”
 
Tip #3 – Ask to See the Letter

Students should NEVER accept a blind letter of recommendation!  It is too risky to submit letters where the student has no idea what is said about him or her.  Although this is not a common practice, I have run across a handful of teachers in the past several years who tell the student outright they will not share the contents of their letter.  This is a huge red flag.  If a potential evaluator says his or her practice is not to share the LOR contents, run!
 
Tip #4 – Be Involved in the Process.

This is the tricky part.  I recommend that students ask their recommenders up front whether or not they will be allowed to be involved in the writing process.  It is difficult for students to make this request because, if not stated properly, it may convey a lack of trust, lack of confidence in their writer’s ability, or a superior “know-it-all” attitude.  Therefore, I give students a script I’ve developed so that they can use carefully selected language to deal with this sensitive topic.  Nine times out of 10, the recommender will comply with the request.  That is the hardest part!  Now comes the easy part.  The student sends me the draft LOR and we carefully review it to ensure it meets the “Quantify and Qualify” criteria set forth below (see Tip #6).
 
¡Cuídate!  Here comes the protective mamá in me.  Being “involved in the process” does not mean writing the letter for the evaluator.  The role of the evaluator is to assess the student’s strengths honestly.  The student’s involvement should be limited to proofing, offering suggestions, recommending additions or deletions, and reviewing for tone and overall content.  Since the LOR is a component of the admissions process, students must respect and adhere to the integrity of this process.
 
Tip #5 – Provide the Evaluator with a “Cheat Sheet”

Now that the student has found an appropriate evaluator, the student should provide the evaluator with helpful information to draft the letter.  The student should thoughtfully reflect upon last year’s classroom discussions, written papers, projects, and any other noteworthy examples of his or her work.  The student will then create a Cheat Sheet for the evaluator.
 
I recommend students go directly to the “Background Information” and “Ratings” section of the Teacher Evaluation Form on the Common Application.  This can be found online at www.commonapp.org.  There are 15 evaluation criteria (on a 7 rank scale) that teachers will complete on behalf of the student.  Students should use these 15 questions as a guide; type up specific examples for each topic; and use these examples as their Cheat Sheet for their evaluators.
 
Tip #6 – Quantify and Qualify

Since the evaluators will already have ranked the student in the “Ratings” section, and the student would have provided detailed examples for each of the 15 rankings, the letter is practically written already!  Now, the challenge is to further quantify and qualify statements within the letter.  Note that the prompt the teacher evaluators receive reads as follows:
 
Please write whatever you think is important about this student, including a description of academic and personal characteristics, as demonstrated in your classroom.  We welcome information that will help us to differentiate this student from others.
 
You can see from the above instructions that the objective is for the evaluator to provide a descriptive analysis that supports the recommendation.  Therefore, the letter should not state, “Cesar is a great student” or “Cesar is really smart.”  Instead, it should read something like this:

“In terms of intellectual promise, Cesar easily ranks in the top 1% of students I’ve taught in the last 12 years.  Evidence of Cesar’s intellectual ability is evident through his writing and classroom discussions.  For example, Cesar led a provocative classroom discussion regarding American identity.  He challenged many common beliefs and presented concise and convincing arguments one would typically see in an introductory college level course.  Subsequently, Cesar expounded on this topic by presenting a highly analytical and thought-provoking essay regarding the concept of “American exceptionalism.”  Compared to other student’s I have taught over the years, Cesar’s keen ability to grasp complex and sophisticated concepts, his exceptional critical thinking skills, maturity level, and his ability to form understanding from subtle nuances, renders my unconditional and enthusiastic endorsement as a candidate for admission to your university.

The above example is shortened for this article.  However, the letter should not be less than ¾ of a page, and not more than one page.  A few final suggestions!  Once the impressive and well crafted LORs are completed, students should request that they receive a generic printout of the letter to be used for future scholarships, internships, or leadership programs.  The teacher or counselor letter can be dated as “Fall 2013” and addressed To Whom it May Concern (or alternately, “Scholarship Committee”).  The student should print several of these letters to have on file for future applications.  Finally, students should not forget to thank the recommender.  And no, an email or text message will not suffice.  Instead, send a hand written thank you card and enclose a $5 Starbucks card or deliver some homemade cookies.  Remember, the recommender has spent a significant amount of his or her personal time.  Thank them!

Quetzal Mama hosts a free 1 hour “Letter of Recommendation” workshop for Latino high school students.  This online workshop is accessible via Smartphones, iPads, laptops, or anywhere you can get an internet connection.  To participate in one of my online workshops, send me a request to [email protected].

--Quetzal Mama
Copyright 2013 Roxanne Ocampo