Hi! I was wondering who I should ask to write my peer recommendation to Dartmouth - a cousin who went to Dartmouth that I know pretty well, but am not incredibly close with as she is ~6 years older than me, or a closer peer. When I first mentioned to my cousin that I was interested in Dartmouth, she told me she would write it for me, but now that it’s getting closer I’m not sure. I know she could write a great letter of rec, but do you think the admissions officers would be bothered by the fact that she’s not exactly a “peer” as she’s so much older than me? Would having a Dartmouth alumni write my letter help my chances or am I better off asking a closer friend? Thanks!
I have no special knowledge on this topic, but logic dictates that you should ask your friend. The purpose of these letters is to help the admissions committee get to know you better and your friend is more qualified to write a letter with that goal. I doubt the prestige of a letter from a D alum will mean much.
The “prestige” of your cousin is 500x less valuable than the intimate anecdote your friend may share about you. Dartmouth wants to see your humanity. They could care less about your luck of family ties.
Hi, I currently go to Dartmouth and I had my friend who was the same age as me write it. I only picked her because I felt that she would write the best rec for me, she currently goes to community college, so they really don’t care about the prestige of a peer recommender. Just pick someone who will write the best rec for you.