Frankly, I’m not a fan of brag sheets and cannot help but think they promote lazy rec letter-writing and tempt teachers to attest to who the student claims to be, not who the teacher has seen him to be. And if that is the case, what is the point? The college already has information on the student’s perspective on himself through the rest of the application. Shouldn’t the teacher or professor be testifying to what he PERSONALLY has witnessed from the applicant, bringing to bear perhaps years of experience dealing with many other students? Don’t colleges want an objective adult’s assessment of the student’s character and abilities? How does it help the college if a teacher just repeats “Johnny is President of the Key Club and it seems he did a wonderful job…” What would be more helpful is for the teacher to say, “As the Key Club advisor, I observed Johnny in action and can say…”
That said, though, this is the way things are done now. Many high school teachers are lazy and are looking for a short cut. (Some are overworked I’m sure, but not many in our district. They are given prep periods and classes are done for the day at 2:30 PM. My heart bleeds that they might have to work until 3:30 PM to help a student.) However, this is a college professor we’re talking about–presumably a smart man with a PhD and far fewer rec letters to write. Inexcusable. Yet, this is the system and the student needs the letter. I’d give him a list of her accomplishments in the class and in the field, but would not write sentences. Neither a student nor his parents are likely to sound like a college prof., unless of course the parent IS a prof.
LOR’s have clearly become a farce.