Hey all,
For top schools, how much do letters of recommendation matter? Also, if your recommender is accomplished in his or her field, does it make the recommendation better in admissions eyes?
Thanks!
- enormously – they (and your personal statement) are your only chances to humanize you
- No. The accomplishment of the writer means practically nothing. A letter from a lofty and well-known PhD who doesn’t know you well is 1,000 x worse than the 2nd year new teacher who was able to witness you do extraordinary things in your classroom and with your peers. Here’s what you HOPE your rec letters look like: http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs
The rec letter is about YOU, not the writer.
!) At top schools it is a way to distinguish yourself from many other applicants who have great stats, ECs etc.
2) Your accomplishments are what is important, not the accomplishments of the recommender.
95% of letters of recommendation are interchangeable. Make sure that you provide your teacher with sufficient information so he or she can write a really great letter for you. It will help them if they know where you are applying, what your are interested in studying and/or doing professionally, what you feel you biggest accomplishments are and any significant barriers you’ve overcome. They may or may not know your overall GPA and test scores so you can provide that too. If you can sit down and talk to the teacher, so much the better. (Our high public high schools actually have kids fill out forms with exactly that info for the guidance counselors and teachers.)
A really well-written letter with the kind of detail and examples that makes you ‘come alive’ to the reader is what you are after here.
Be sure to ask the person(s) who will be writing if they feel they can write a strong letter for you (and yes, give them a resume with your activities and remind them what specifically you did with them/wrote/said in their class, etc). If they give you a lukewarm response, ask someone else.
^^^^^ Super advice! Better yet, ask your guidance counselor if there are teachers to avoid (i.e. known to be mediocre or poor rec letter writers or are terrible procrastinators). The GCs know who the good LoR writers are.