Hello CC Community! I am applying to a couple of top-tier universities and was wondering if it was acceptable for another high schooler to write my letters of rec. He runs a widely respected nonprofit that brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding a year (based on public tax returns). I have worked with the nonprofit quite a bit and have since worked my way up to a stipend-based pay position. In terms of impact, the nonprofit is also very impressive (over 300k website visits a month, tons of programs etc.) – I’d appreciate any input!
Others may have other thoughts - but I don’t see an issue - but I also don’t see the need to identify anyone’s age.
it’s more - what’s their role (in title) and the letter is about you.
It’s in essence a boss/mentor letter…not a friend letter…so not that I would do it, but I can understand why.
That said, if he’s identified as young, I could see a skeptical person looking down on you and for that reason, I wouldn’t do it.
How could that happen? If the reader decides to do research on the organization.
It’s just human nature that someone would dismiss it as my friend writing me a great letter.
Just my opinion.
Step back and look at your entire application as a whole: essays, ecs, transcript, test scores, LoRs. Each AO at a top uni has hundreds of applications to read, spending 7-12 minutes per application. An outside LoR is more to read and they aren’t going to spend extra time on your app - they will just go faster through it (note that your school LoRs will be more heavily weighted than supplementals).
So, the added value of that LoR should be substantial to make it worth it. Does it add something important about you that cannot be found elsewhere in your app? The person and the organization may be impressive- but this is about you and your fit for the unis you are applying to. So, is this Is this the best use of the minutes it will take for them to figure out who this person is and how much weight they should give to the LoR? And finally, writing a good LoR is a skill in itself- do you know how experienced the person is with that?
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