<p>I just got a letter in the mail from Smith that invited my parents to write a LOR on my behalf. Is this something everyone gets? </p>
<p>If so, I guess I just never heard of it. The only colleges I knew in advance that sometimes requested additional information were some of my in-state options.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if everyone gets one. My daughter got one and she was a strong candidate for admission, so it’s not something to worry about. Needless to say, even though it’s optional, it’s a good thing to send in.</p>
<p>Okay.
Smith is a match for me, so I guess I thought it meant I was borderline or something. (That’s what one of the additional information things are for my in-state options).</p>
<p>All parents are offered the option to submit a letter.</p>
<p>The history of the parental reference letter is interesting. </p>
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<p>[Parent</a> Recommendation Letters to Colleges - Ask The Dean](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/parent-recommendation-letters-to-colleges.htm]Parent”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/parent-recommendation-letters-to-colleges.htm)</p>
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<p>[Some</a> colleges weigh parent letters in admissions - SFGate](<a href=“http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Some-colleges-weigh-parent-letters-in-admissions-3415410.php]Some”>http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Some-colleges-weigh-parent-letters-in-admissions-3415410.php)</p>
<p>This is good to know, as my child is quite humble and would never “brag” or mention situations where she went beyond the call of duty and could have said, “not my problem.”</p>
<p>I wrote what I thought was a very thoughtful letter, illuminating my daughter’s mind in a way that she would never think to and which would not have surfaced in traditional LOR’s, drawing upon anecdotes that illustrated how she thought about things. To a moral certainty she would have been admitted anyway. But it’s barely possible that the letter at least helped her in terms of some of the perks. </p>
<p>By all means, avoid the “brag sheet” syndrome.</p>
<p>From our parent perspective it was a really, really, nice personal touch by Smith Admissions. My wife loved composing the letter – I received a little input.</p>
<p>.02</p>
<p>David</p>
<p>I think it’s also a signal to the admissions office that her parents won’t oppose her attending. A useful thing to have in her corner.</p>
<p>The counselor at our kids’ high school asked parents to write an essay to HER on the topic “What makes me particularly proud of my child” to help her in writing HER letters. I thought it odd until I wrote mine and realized parents can tie things together in a way few at school would be able to do.</p>
<p>There is that, also. My daughter goes to a tiny school with tons of faculty support, but a lot of other kids won’t have that kind of tie with the people doing their recommendations. </p>
<p>In my case, knowing that her faculty/headmaster letters were going to be so detailed and accurate gave me a bit more latitude to fill in gaps and add color rather than reminding the committee of the basic stuff.</p>
<p>Unless it got lost in the mail, we didn’t receive a request for parent rec letter. Should we be reading anything into that?</p>
<p>Neither did we.</p>
<p>To update - after months of stony silence (no request for parent letter, no nice Christmas card, etc) DD received her Smith acceptance on Friday, for which she (and we) are very excited. So for parents who may read this in future years, don’t worry about the tea leaves.</p>
<p>D was also accepted. We got the parent LOR request (and submitted one), but no early write or T shirt. Unfortunately, no FA offered, so it looks to be a financial rejection. She has other good offers, so it’s all OK, but still a disappointment about Smith which was a top choice…</p>
<p>Update: I got accepted to Smith, but the financial aid was only offered due to me having an older sibling in college, which means that in my sophomore year, when my sister is no longer in college, Smith will be too expensive for me. I have other choices, but Smith was among my top. </p>
Does anyone know if Smith invites all parents to submit an optional parent LOR and if not, how they pick who to ask? D applied in December and we haven’t heard anything.
We got one, but it was months ago. I’m pretty sure everyone is invited to send one. It’s a thin beige envelope you might have thrown out without opening in the barrage of junk mail we all get from colleges. I happened to open it. I actually enjoyed writing it and went through several drafts. You can still write one and send it in although I think mine had a “due date” of Jan. 1. They want you to keep it to one page or under. That was basically the only criteria. A couple weeks after I mailed it I saw it pop up as “received” in her applicant portal. The letter will not make or break your chances.
My D applied last year (RD) and we never received a request for parent letter. I’m sure I didn’t throw it away unopened because I open every piece of mail we receive. I’d heard about these letters and was surprised not to get one, and wondered if it was a bad sign. In the end D was accepted, though she decided to go elsewhere, so I would not read anything into getting or not getting this.
Thanks @redpoodles and @Requin. Crap, I hope all the junk mail didn’t cause us to miss the letter, but good to know it’s not fatal if we didn’t get, or got and didn’t send.