Writing letters of recommendation for high school seniors may be one of the most difficult tasks faced by teachers. As a greater number of colleges require such letters, teachers with reputations for “good” letters are often inundated with requests. Letters should be straightforward, personalized, contain very specific information, and limited to two pages.
Writing the Recommendation Letter
The recommendation letter should set apart the student and present information that allows college admissions personnel to clearly differentiate the applicant from his peers. In many cases, the competition toward acceptance is intensely fierce and the letter may help to portray the student in a unique way.
A recommendation should be written on official school stationary. Each letter should be personalized in the heading with the college name, address, and, if available, the name of the Dean of Admissions. In the subject area, the letter should include the student’s full legal name and social security number. Many colleges use the social security number for paperwork identification, replacing it after admission with a student identification number.
The body of the letter should address the following elements:
- Evidence of leadership
- Special skills and accomplishments
- Integrity and Character
- Examples of academic excellence
Many recommendation letters restate facts that admissions officials already have in other application documents such as courses taken, grades, extra curricular activities, and awards. Restating these is redundant. The recommendation letter should make the applicant come alive. It should give the reader specific examples of how leadership was demonstrated or what specific projects, papers, or other academic assessments illustrate excellence.
The initial paragraph should grip the reader and get him interested in the applicant. Never begin a letter with the statement, “I have been asked to write this letter on behalf of…” It is helpful to be creative in setting the tone: “Who would have believed that the captain of the football team would land the lead role in the school musical and still have time to spearhead a school chapter of Habitat for Humanity?”
If you highlight the student’s integrity, be prepared to cite examples demonstrating this trait. Colleges want to know if an applicant can write and research. They look at how a student will fit into their particular culture and how successful he will be completing four years of study. The recommendation letter should give evidence that the student possesses the necessary discipline and skills to see the college experience through to graduation and perhaps even on through graduate studies. If applicable, highlight obstacles overcome by the student in his high school career.
Each separate letter should be personalized. It is important to edit letters before signing them to ensure that the names and addresses match on each letter and that parenthetical information or a personal anecdote about the college is specifically geared toward the college reflected in the heading.
Sign each individual letter and give your title: Department Chair, Curriculum Coordinator, Guidance Director, etc. Who you are lends clout to your observations in the letter. It is helpful to provide your institutional email address in the event that a college requests further information or clarification. Have the letters completed by the date promised and file a copy of the letter with your school’s Guidance/Counseling office.
Writing a student college recommendation can be an exciting experience if you know enough about the student to paint a vivid picture of who the person is that you are recommending. When SAT scores and class rank are simply not enough, the college recommendation letter may help admissions counselors to better envision who the applicant is and why he would thrive in that particular environment.
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