What do you think? We have some good alumnae contacts for a school that (1) takes demonstrated interest seriously, and (2) based on the Common Data Set, ranks “Recommendations” as “important.” My D has several very, very nice letters of recommendation (she is at the scholarship phase now)–in addition to having excellent credentials. We want the school to know she really wants to be there, and the letters all indicate her long-term interest (since 8th grade!). I just don’t want to appear obnoxious, but these people genuinely want her at the school!
Try and keep it down to one or two extra max outside of the standard teacher and guidance counselor recommendations. I’ve been to many different top-tier schools, and what they have all said is that once they reach a certain number of recommendation letters, they stop reading them. They also said that having more than what they ask for looks both obnoxious and as if you can’t follow directions. Keep in mind that they have thousands of applications to read, so whatever you send in should be as short as possible while also being effective and showing how awesome your daughter is!
Yes. I’ve heard more than one admissions officer say, “The thicker the file, the thicker the kid.” ANY supplemental letter should reflect relevant information that cannot be conveyed elsewhere in the application. “Me too” letters that duplicate or support the same point are not helpful and can be a distraction from strong material in the file.
OP, tell these multiple alumni who are so eager to help to call the bigwigs they know at the admissions office. If they don’t know bigwigs at the admissions office, then they probably don’t have any power to sway the decision.
When should you include a supplemental letter of rec? Here’s one classic example: I recommend that a family include a letter from a star musician’s choir/orchestra leader, talking about the student’s distinctive musical contribution to the ensemble as well as the personality traits they show in rehearsal and on tour. That’s a perspective that academic recommenders don’t see, and the student’s skill level vis-a-vis other ensemble members is a matter of professional judgment and doesn’t come through in the essay or activity list.
I agree. Unless a recommender outside of the usual two has light to shed on a different side of an applicant, I don’t think extra rec letters should be sent. Think about why they want letters from teachers. Apart from a parent, a kid spends more time with teachers than anyone else. I think the best type of extra rec would come from someone like a coach, music instructor, employer, or community mentor.
S has four LORs. The first two were/are sent with every application. The next two are reserved in case he is deferred or if there is a separate scholarship or honors application at the same institution, etc. He has had several opportunities to use the reserved LORs.
In most of the college applications I’ve done or assisted younger relations/friends with feedback…max of 3 LORs from people who know and can write very positively about your academic work/character.
Quality over quantity.
@STEM2017 , that is a good idea. Who are the extra letters from, if you don’t mind sharing.
One extra letter is from the teacher/mentor of Campus Ministry Leadership (Catholic HS). S has run retreats and has proven himself as a caring thoughtful leader. The mentor was thrilled to write the letter.
The other is from his current AP Physics teacher. She only knows him for half a year but he is a leader in the classroom and has an A average. She was also enthusiastic about writing a letter.
Letters 1 and 2 are even stronger.
Well, if the extra letter(s) is from an alumnus of the school, who has known her for many years and wants to write to her long-standing interest in attending, wouldn’t that be helpful? This is a traditional type school where the alumni have lots of sway.
I suppose one alum letter would make sense, since it might add something that the teachers and GC don’t really know.
My older son had two extra letters. One was from the boss of the company where he’d been doing programming for a couple of years and the other was from a med school prof that he’d helped with a project. I think it was important, both to show the level of his computer skills (which no one at the high school could assess) and to show that he was a good team player despite being quite an introvert.
Our school limits LOR to two. The colleges stop reading after 2 for the most part. Usually 2 good ones are enough. After that, it’s redundant, and it is annoying.
My older kid had one extra letter of reference only. It was from his youth orchestra conductor. He wanted that one…because he was applying as a music performance major.
DD’s college was pretty clear. They didn’t want any extra material…at all. None.
I completely agree with @Hanna and I’ve heard that exact quote as well–it seems to be a common saying!
“This is a traditional type school where the alumni have lots of sway.”
How do you know that alumni have lots of sway over admissions?
If you are at the scholarship level, the student has lots of opportunity (essays, interviews, visits) to convey her long-standing interest. I don’t see what the alumnus can add to that unless the alumnus has supervised her work in some sphere.
Does scholarship phase mean she is in the running for merit money? In which case, isn’t she already accepted, at least with a likely letter? That is my memory of how it works?
If she is already accepted, I don’t understand what the alum letter adds?
How many letters does the school require? I’s be hesitant to send more unless specifically asked for more.
Just because you know people (alumni) doesn’t mean they know your child. I like the thicker the file comment. Admissions people have far too much material to pay close attention to yet another praises of X letter. All alumni could do this. This is like joining vast numbers of clubs… Quality over quantity!
If this letter of reference from an alum was going to be THAT compelling to admissions…it should have been included in the allotted number of letters. It should not be an additional one.
the entire concept of recommendation letters for colleges is silly.yes I know it is a time honored tradition but…the same when I hire somebody a letter of recommendation is worthless. your last boss will not bad mouth you(unless they are foolish) and they want you re-employed asap…because you are less likely to try and collect unemployment or if you left under less than ideal circumstances file a lawsuit. if I was a teacher or guidance counselor I would never bad mouth a student so a letter from me would be worthless. (and the option for an anonymous letter is questionable…sure the colleges promise a letter will never be revealed but I would not put 100% stock in that)
just like anonymous sperm donation, is anonymous until it is not.
I think you need to give them the minimum needed letters , nothing more. (hopefully someday the letter of recommendation requirement will fade away)
We met with our college counselor this weekend, and I asked him this question. He said, if you have 4 or 5, that is perfectly fine, especially if the letters come from various categories of people. For instance, letters would be fine from two teachers, a personal friend, an alum, an employer–especially if the letters can expand on what is shown from their records. He said that letters showing the student in a different light are helpful (and this person was previously in college admissions). Interesting enough, one school my daughter applied to required a peer recommendation, and another school emailed me and asked for an optional parent recommendation (I thought that last one was far-fetched, b/c what if the parent can’t write well?). He said if you get over 5, it is not helpful.