<p>Just realize that those sticker terms are exactly what any top-tier college doesn't want to hear. That that letter could have been written for anyone shows how much fluff it is. If you just want to get your recommendation done, then fine, but don't expect it to count for anything.</p>
<p>The letter above is simply an example for leyser, and it is up to leyser to make it his/her own, especially since the teacher involved won't write the letter.</p>
<p>Personally, if I was leyser, I would have simply requested a rec letter from someone else. </p>
<p>No one knows what every adcom at every college wants to see in a rec letter, and since leyser hasn't volunteered any information about him/herself, it is a challenge to provide a meaningful example of a well-written letter that will work for leyser. </p>
<p>Others are invited to submit an example of a winning letter for leyser to use as template.</p>
<p>My situation is an uneasy one.</p>
<p>I'm not 18 years old and familiar with teachers and their quirks and words.</p>
<p>I'm 22 (closing in fast on 23), after 3 years of military service, work for a living (at Intel) and actually attend a University as it is.</p>
<p>I have no idea what adcoms in the USA expect to hear and I'm grateful for my teachers to have even remembered me and agreed to let me write a recommendation on their behalf, inspite of the fact they last saw me over 4 years ago (can I actually state that I'm a "memorable student", and that it is quite exceptional that after all these years and hundreds of students later a teacher still remembers me?).</p>
<p>I can't turn to anyone else seeking a recommendation (aside from my boss, whom I will use as an additional reference), so I HAVE TO write them myself - no matter what. It's imperative that I do this right, and I have very little to go by.</p>
<p>I come from a very different culture and recommendation letters here are completely different and are no more than a mere formality that is more often than not completely overlooked. </p>
<p>I just want to know what aspects of myself I should be addressing. Abilities? Social skills? Intellect? Class reference? </p>
<p>For instance, I'd be glad to write that my 82/100 score in Advanced Physics is infact one of the top 3 marks in the whole class, because the curriculum is incredibly challenging and the whole school abhors grade inflation, but would that be out of place?</p>
<p>etc.</p>
<p>Thanks for any reference or ideas.</p>
<p>Hmmm</p>
<p>My Essay speaks of how I matured and developed during my military service. If I refer to certain faults in those letters (because I don't intend to write empty platitude) and they are addressed to in my Essay... that creates a nice picture, doesn't it?</p>
<p>Then I have an idea: Why don't you write your case in the additional information section? Include the information about your grades as well, if you feel it pertinent. If you simply haven't been in contact with your teachers due to extenuating circumstances, then admissions officers will understand. In fact, they usually prefer 11th/12th grade teachers as they're more familiar with you. I still believe that writing your own recommendations is not only too hard to do, but won't help you.</p>
<p>A Bump and a further Question:</p>
<p>My School is not too clever on this - where should it address all the Secondary School Reports etc.? What should I give them - the addresses listed @ collegeboard.com?</p>