Recommendations

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>What kind of things in recommendations stand out to admission officers? I mean beyond your recommender indicating you're top 5% or "one of the best he/she has taught." I mean with regards more to the free response questions such as:</p>

<p>Which personal qualities stand out in the applicant?
Or
What do you know of this student’s intellectual qualities? What are your impressions of the student’s academic priorities?</p>

<p>If any Penn students ever happened to look at their teacher recs, did anything particularly stand out in your mind?</p>

<p>Anyone care to share a thought or two.</p>

2

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/444338-what-excellent-amazing-great-college-recommendations-like-6.html#post5213286%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/444338-what-excellent-amazing-great-college-recommendations-like-6.html#post5213286&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Here is the thread as well as a post I made, but feel free to read the entire thread for more advice</p>

3

<p>wow that's a great thread, lot's of useful information.</p>

<p>Basically, what I got out of it was that adcoms lilke seeing short illustrative anecdotes rather than a listing of superlatives in the letter section. </p>

<p>The box ticks, given that most if not all fall within the upper spectrum (top 5%, one of the few in my career), will only reinforce a strong, unique letter from the instructor.</p>

<p>I guess adcoms would like to make sure that your recommender knows you well enough to reveal some unique personal quality/trait within you that goes beyond the surface level of grades and an extra-curricular list.</p>