Rec Letters Staff Overview - Spring 2024

University Rec Letters

Staff Overview
Spring 2024

Today's Goals

Why are rec letters important?

What should you write about?

How to submit letters?

Our Medalists

#3 - Nikola Stojkovic - 8

#2 - Stewart Dods - 11

#1 - ??? - 13

Our Letter Can Be Better

Open Ended

What kind of things do universities want to read in a recommendation letter?

MIT Admissions Office

"Because of our highly competitive applicant pool, letters of recommendation hold substantial weight in our decisions.

A well-written letter... can show impressive characteristics beyond their own self-advocacy."

American University
Associate Director of Admissions

"[Letters of recommendation are] extremely important.

GPA is most important, but letters of recommendation are a close second."

Data Sets Agree

MIT Admissions Office

​"We find that the best recommendations are written by teachers who know an applicant well as both a student and a person."

​Who to Ask?

Multiple Select

Which of the following must students provide to you? (Check all that apply!)

• A Polite Request to Write

• A Cash Bribe

• Their Resume

• Their Self-Evaluation Form

• At Least 3 Weeks to Write

MIT Admissions Office

​"[Rec letters] are most helpful when they are specific and storied. They should provide us with information... we cannot glean from the rest of the application.

Support... with facts and anecdotes whenever possible."

​What to Write About?

This is an older scale used internally by admissions officers at Stanford to assess rec letters.

AO's Scale for Rec Letters

1. Why are you choosing this teacher?

2. What qualities, values, and/or aspects of yourself do you hope this teacher could emphasize?

3. How have you demonstrated these qualities in this teacher's class(es)/ECA(s)? What memories and examples could you reflect on?

4. What is your proudest accomplishment related to this teacher?

Teacher Self-Evaluation Form

Multiple Choice

Which of the following descriptive terms is the most cliche in a recommendation letter?

• Hard-working

• Open to criticism

• Decisive

• Precocious

Do!

1. Pick specific adjectives and support them with evidence; avoid hollow cliches like “hard-working,” “best ever,” & “team-player.” You can copy-and-paste samples from their assignments!

2. Tell a story with examples. “It's the character stuff that I really need to hear from you…I need to know what kind of community member I'm getting—you're my best (sometimes only) source.”

3. Vary your letters. Avoid repeating the body portions in particular.

Positive Traits (Adjectives)

• Integrity

• Perseverance

• Judgment

• Motivation

• Inquiring attitude

• Maturity

• Creativity

• Humor

• Confidence

• Compassion

• Reliability and responsibility

• Decisiveness

• Attitude

• Passion

• Communication skills

• Ability to accept criticism

Key Content & Structure

Quick Introduction:

1. Mention student names like this: Qirui (Avery) Qian

2. How long you've known the student & your role

Show First-Hand Knowledge of:

1. Significant work products & impact in your classroom

2. Interactions with others (humor, patience, kindness, etc.)

3. Their "mind" and work ethic toward their studies

   (How do they read/write? Distinct voice? | Analyze info/data?)

4. Any humanizing quirks... and why you'll miss them

• Detailed Anecdotes

• Overcoming Obstacles

• Chocolate!

Traditional Format

• Easy to Read

• Specific Examples

• Multifaceted Info

Staccato Anecdotes

• Adjective Headings

• Storied Examples

• Highly Organized

Organized Narrative

Multiple Choice

Statistically speaking, how many students can you accurately claim to have been the best in your career?

• 0

• 1

• 2+

Don't!

1. Say "best in my career," especially if they're rocking a C+ and/or your other 10 letters make the same claim.

2. Repeat their resume. “Two paragraphs actually specific to the student are so much better than a page of puff.”

3. Recycle letters—even those you wrote in previous years. “I read schools in groups—so, if I get five applications from [SCLS], I read all five in a row. It does your students zero favors if I see you are not writing them individual letters. And next year, I will also be the person who reads letters from [SCLS].”

1. Students finish Self-Evaluation Forms

2. Email intended teachers

   (Provide form + resume)

3. Officially request letters
   (On Scoir or uni websites)

Procedure to Request Letters

• Students will officially request rec letters on Scoir.

• You simply upload them onto the student's profile, then CC takes care of the rest!

How to Submit

• Suggested: Upload by July 1

• Final Deadline: September 30

Upload Letters

• Email you Resume + Self-Eval: March 31

Students Request

Deadlines

Multiple Choice

Morally speaking, which country has the best chocolate?

• Kyrgyzstan

• Kiribati

• Kazakhstan