<p>I am curious to know how important a role a great teacher recommendation can play and what exactly defines a great recommendation? Do you think it is possible that an average application can be propelled to glory by such a recommendations? Thank you for taking the time out to read this, and I would thoroughly appreciate it if you can spare some time to answer :)</p>
<p>I really doubt it. Look up the common data set for the colleges in which you are interested. Section C7 shows you what weight is given to all the elements for admission. For most schools the top two are GPA and scores.</p>
<p>
A walk-on-water recommendation letter won’t “propel” an applicant to “glory.” As Erin’s Dad pointed out, the top two factors considered by most college admissions committees are GPA (including strength of curriculum) and standardized test scores.</p>
<p>Recommendation letters take on additional importance for graduate school admissions, but for undergraduate admissions they typically don’t play a make-it-or-break-it role. That being said, a negative recommendation letter may hurt an applicant’s chances, whereas a lukewarm recommendation letter may raise red flags. Admissions officers might follow up on a negative/neutral recommendation with a personal phone call.</p>
<p>What makes a “great” recommendation letter?
[ul][<em>]The letter is well written and fairly long. It is not a boiler-plate recommendation letter in which the teacher has just plugged in the student’s name.
[</em>]The letter refers to some of the items (ECs, honors, awards) mentioned in the student’s application. This essentially validates the information in the application.
[<em>]The letter is specific, indicating that the teacher knows the student very well.
[</em>]The letter points out something unique/noteworthy that distinguishes the student from the pack.
[*]The recommender is a very experienced teacher who describes the student with superlatives, e.g., the “brightest student with whom I have ever worked,” “hardest worker,” “student with the greatest potential,” etc. Such words carry great weight if the recommender has been teaching at a good school for 20+ years. It compares the student to others who have matriculated at the same high school…and perhaps secured acceptances from top-tier colleges.[/ul]</p>
<p>
A walk-on-water recommendation letter won’t “propel” an applicant to “glory.” As Erin’s Dad pointed out, the top two factors considered by most college admissions committees are GPA (including strength of curriculum) and standardized test scores.</p>
<p>Recommendation letters take on additional importance for graduate school admissions, but for undergraduate admissions they typically don’t play a make-it-or-break-it role. That being said, a negative recommendation letter may hurt an applicant’s chances, whereas a lukewarm recommendation letter may raise red flags. Admissions officers might follow up on a negative/neutral recommendation with a personal phone call.</p>
<p>What makes a “great” recommendation letter?
[ul][<em>]The letter is well written and fairly long. It is not a boiler-plate recommendation letter into which the teacher has just inserted the student’s name.
[</em>]The letter refers to some of the items (ECs, honors, awards) mentioned in the student’s application. This essentially validates the information in the application.
[<em>]The letter is specific, indicating that the teacher knows the student very well.
[</em>]The letter points out something unique/noteworthy that distinguishes the student from the pack.
[*]The recommender is a very experienced teacher who describes the student with superlatives, e.g., the “brightest student with whom I have ever worked,” “hardest worker,” “student with the greatest potential,” etc. Such words carry great weight if the recommender has been teaching at a good school for 20+ years. It compares the student to others who have matriculated at the same high school…and perhaps secured acceptances from top-tier colleges.[/ul]</p>
<p>Good advice for useful rec letters</p>
<p>[Writing</a> Recommendations | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs]Writing”>How to write good letters of recommendation | MIT Admissions)</p>