How to Secure Glowing Recommendation LETTERS (Part 2)
August 26, 2024 | By Daniel Strom
Part 1 of this blog focused on how to select teachers that will write your recommendation letters. If you haven’t read this yet, you can find it here.
Now, we need to think about how to guide them through the process to ensure that the letter aligns with our interests and Application Brand.
Should I Ask Them in Person?
Asking in person allows you to gauge your teacher’s enthusiasm through their response and body language, but choose the approach that feels most comfortable for you. If you feel more comfortable emailing them to ask, do it. Ideally, you will make the request at the end of your junior year, but if this is not possible, make sure to give them at least a month’s notice.
Steps to Follow After They Agree:
Write an email thanking them for their willingness to write you a recommendation letter.
Fill out the Recommendation Cover Letter Template and attach it to the email
Ask them if they can meet with you for 30 minutes in person to discuss what you’ve written in the cover letter. In this meeting, you should also share your Application Brand with them and explain its significance.
Below, you can find the Recommendation Cover Letter Guide. There is also a downloadable version at the bottom of the page.
Recommendation Cover Letter Guide:
For each teacher, select 2-4 qualities you'd like them to emphasize in their letter about you. Aim to pick different qualities for each teacher to avoid repetition.
Academic Achievements
Intellectual Promise/Enthusiasm
Quality of Writing
Creativity
Academic Involvement
Character and Personality Traits
Respect/Concern for Others
Discipline
Maturity
Motivation
Leadership/Influence
Self-Confidence
Initiative
Character and Integrity
Potential for Growth
For each of the 2-4 traits that you select above, you will write a paragraph to help your recommender focus on specific examples that showcase these traits. You will find an example of these paragraphs in the template below:
Teacher 1:
Dear [NAME],
Thank you very much again for agreeing to write a recommendation for my college applications. I have prepared a document for your convenience that should make it much easier for you to draft my letter. I have tried to ask each of my recommenders to tailor his/her letter to discuss different characteristics and attributes.
As you know, I have put a lot of effort into making sure my application is the best it can possibly be so that I can get into the schools of my choice. If you could take a quick look at the attachment to this e-mail before you write my letter, I would be very appreciative. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this.
I hope that you can recommend me as a student that is a strong quantitative thinker and social change agent who hopes to solve real-world problems to make the community better.
I think that the most appropriate and beneficial qualities for you to comment on are the following:
[SELECTED TRAIT 1 & PARAGRAPH EXPLANATION]
Intellectual Enthusiasm – I would be grateful if your recommendation could emphasize my enthusiasm for research and further study in neuroscience. Highlighting how my dedication combined with my analytical skills positions me as an excellent candidate for college would be incredibly valuable. Any specific examples from our collaboration that demonstrate my genuine passion for neuroscience would significantly strengthen my application. For instance, you might recall my keen interest in exploring sensory systems in your psychology class during my sophomore year, which sparked my curiosity in the unique sensory phenomenon of synesthesia—a subject I chose for my final research paper.
[SELECTED TRAIT 2 & PARAGRAPH EXPLANATION]
Creativity – I was hoping your recommendation could discuss the different tools and methods I employed while working on a statistics project. Any specific examples that highlight my innovation and creativity would be greatly appreciated. For instance, you might mention how I utilized tools like R programming and Tableau to analyze and visualize patterns in climate data, which helped me develop a predictive model for assessing the risk of wildfires in California.
[SELECTED TRAIT 3 & PARAGRAPH EXPLANATION]
Leadership/Influence – As part of my “Application Brand,” I am trying to highlight my interests outside of mathematics as well. As the president of the Key Club, I spearheaded a community service activity at the local pet shelter. In class, I feel that I exercised my leadership abilities by volunteering to create step-by-step guides for students who were struggling with material before an exam.
Thank you so much for your willingness to write me a recommendation letter.
Best,
[Student Name]
To download this guide and template, enter your email below:
About Daniel Strom
Daniel Strom co-founded Elite Scholar Advising, which provides tailored advice to college applicants worldwide. He is a proud graduate of Northwestern University and the Kellogg School of Management, where he also developed admissions experience through his role as an admissions representative. In addition, he also served on the Northwestern Alumni Admissions Interviewing Council. Daniel has helped hundreds of college applicants across the world realize their full potential by gaining admission to their dream schools.