<p>OK. Let me give some examples to make myself clear.</p>
<p>Example 1: Standard strong rec</p>
<p>I'd like to recommend David Echols to your school. I was David's AP economics teacher and coach of his Federal Reserve Challenge team this year.</p>
<p>David is a strong student with a GPA of 4.47, including an "A" in my class and a "5" on his AP Econ exam. His SAT scores of 1375 were among the highest at our school this year. That is quite an accomplishment, since our school consistently turns out twice as many National Merit Scholars as the average high school.</p>
<p>David is very active in National Honor Society, Chess Club, and our top choir, the "Songbirds." He volunteers weekly at the Humane Society, and has been volunteering there since he was nine years old. </p>
<p>David was an integral part of our Federal Reserve Challenge team, working very hard to master the concepts. Our team was one of only seven finalists in the nation, going to Washington, DC to meet Mr. Bernanke and represent the Federal Reserve bank in our district.</p>
<p>I highly recommend David. He would be an asset to any school.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>Not a bad letter, huh? Standard strong is the term for it. Now, let's look at a difference making letter.</p>
<p>Letter 2: Difference maker</p>
<p>I'd like to recommend David Echols to your school. I was David's AP economics teacher and coach of his Federal Reserve Challenge team this year.</p>
<p>I first met David when he showed up at my office door asking if he could take AP Econ as an independent study course. I thought it was a bad idea, since I didn't see how he could keep up with the class that way. I also thought he was just one more laurel grubber, the kind that abound at our school, trying to fit another impressive class on his transcript for admission to an elite college. </p>
<p>I reluctantly gave my consent.</p>
<p>David proved me as wrong as I've ever been. As I came to know him, I realized that this young man has a burning passion to understand. My sessions with him became the highlights of my year. David asks the important questions; the questions involving intricate layers of cause and effect. I can truly say that I learned as much from him as he did from me, and not because of the subject matter knowledge he had at the time. The fact is, his questions were so complex and so interesting that I had to be a near full-time student myself to keep up with him.</p>
<p>Our Federal Reserve Challenge team was one of seven national finalists for the first time this year. We couldn't have done it without David. I admit that I was worried about putting him on the team with kids who hadn't seen him in class. David quickly dispelled my fears by not only quickly fitting in, but also by becoming the de facto team leader within a week or so. He was always looking for a new angle with which to view a problem, and bringing it up to the team. Without this rigor, I'm quite sure we would have succumbed to the quirky questions the economists at the Bank commonly use to trip students up.</p>
<p>Actually, that's an understatement. Let me be clear. When the quirky questions came, it was David who answered them; David who thought with stunning clarity on his feet; and David who answered the questions with such humilty that I had an economist come up to me after the regionals and tell me that he had never seen such grace and poise under pressure.</p>
<p>Finally, I like David. Everyone likes David. The faculty members here who have had him in class tell me that their classes are made much better just by his presence. The kids like him, too. That's rare for someone of David's ability.</p>
<p>Good luck landing him.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>