<p>rubyred: I was told by many admissions offices that it did not matter if the recommendation was hand-written in the space provided (assuming they could read it) or word-processed on school letterhead. It is all about content. I word-process mine as I change some things to fit the particular school. From my own children's application experience, I learned that my recs would be much stronger if I had enough info from the student to specifically link their academic promise, their interests, and their aspirations to a specific school. To accomplish this, I "interview" the student and ask such questions as: What draws you to this school? Why is it special to you? Where do you see yourself after 4 years at this school? Which of your personal and academic strengths do you think are a fit for this school, or that this school might be looking for? What areas of growth will this school provide a foundation for? This process is particularly helpful to me when I am not familiar with a school. It also helps my students who have blanketed the usual suspects because they have heard that these schools are very good (and that's all they can tell me).</p>