<p>I did an internship this past summer and I'm a little confused about how I should go about reporting it. I mentioned it under the work experience section of the common app and I'm thinking about asking the person I worked with for a rec letter. </p>
<p>I have a couple questions tho. </p>
<p>Is it worth really asking them to write me one? Or will just mentioning them on my app be enough? I'm sure there are alot of you who did internships and I'm wondering how you conveyed them on your app. </p>
<p>Secondly, if I do ask him to write me one, what do I ask him write? I already talked to the guy and hes very willing to help in any way he can. He, like me, doesn't know what to put tho in a rec letter for college coming from employment. </p>
<p>Thanks for your help. And please, those who did internships, let me know what you did.</p>
<p>An internship can be a good supplemental rec. It doesn't replace the academic ones; colleges, after all, are in the business of learning. But a letter from an employer can be useful if it sheds light on you in a way not covered by the recs from your teacher. This can be ways in which you took the initiative on something, showed leadership, showed ability to get along with or influence others especially ones from different backgrounds, ways you showed responsibility past what was expected, etc.</p>
<p>Look online for tips on writing a good rec, or maybe get a book from the library. As a quick guide an effective rec does not have just broad generalizations but mentions specific attributes, skills, and contributions and gives examples to make the point. "Joe is a hard worker and I'm sure he'll apply himself at X college" is vague; "Without anyone suggesting it Joe took the initiative to reorganize the product brochure distribution and I'm still getting compliments from our salesforce" is good.</p>