<p>I wanted to know if it was acceptable to get supplementary rec from friends. I'm applying to some ivies and other top schools, and I was wondering what they thought about the letters. Some schools include the word "friend" in their list of people who might send an extra rec. However, I'm worried that schools might find it inappropriate or embarrassing to receive a letter from a friend of an applicant, especially if this friend is still attending high school as well.
What are your opinions?</p>
<p>bump.......................</p>
<p>i don't know, but i wouldn't. unless you saved the friend from a bear or something.</p>
<p>I think that's a bad idea. If you are going to send in an extra rec, I think it looks bad if you can only submit one from a peer rather than from an adult in a position of authority. Clearly, the adcoms won't see the letter as objective at all and they might even think you wrote it yourself. Stay away from recs from friends.</p>
<p>I think it's a toss-up. i think it depends on what your friend has to say about you. If they can present a different side of you that would be valuable to adcoms, I can't see how that would be a bad thing. In fact, I know that Dartmouth requires a peer recommendation as part of its application, so obviously some schools would take a peer evaluation seriously. True, submitting a rec. from a friend would be risky. But then again, wouldn't adcoms. like to see someone who takes risks? At one info. session I went to, the admissions officer said that one of the best recs. he had ever read was from a 7 year old girl who the applicant mentored. It was a risky step for the applicant, but apparantly it was effective because he was admitted.</p>
<p>Short answer, No. I don't think that recs from friends are a good idea.</p>
<p>However, my sister did something that you might find interesting...She was very involved in a youth group thing called Young Life throughout high school, and one of her group leaders (or whatever they're called), who was/is also one of her best friends and mentors, wrote a truly moving letter about how my sister had matured and grown throughout high school. </p>
<p>In that case, the rec writer was more of a mentor than just a casual friend. I believe she was 23 when she wrote the letter...I'm sure that the age/maturity affected (effected?) the way that the letter was viewed by the college.</p>