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Letters Of Recommendation: The Best Recommenders

Who To Ask For A Recommendation

As they prepare their college applications, students often find themselves in the position of having to decide who to ask for letters of recommendation. This can be a particularly difficult decision, because each student wants to make the best possible impression on admission officers. It can be hard to know what a recommender might write; after all, students cannot ask for a sample letter of recommendation ahead of time. 

Achieving The Best Letter Of Recommendation

Some colleges specifically request that letters of recommendation come from teachers or guidance counselors. However, others leave the decision entirely up to the applicant. Typically, the best letters of recommendation come from those individuals who an admission officer would recognize as a reliable source:

• A student’s employer or teacher would have excellent knowledge of the student’s abilities
• A priest or rabbi can often attest to a student’s character
• An alumnus of the college to which the student is applying can often speak to how well the student will fit in at that college 

However, there are some individuals who students should not consider when choosing references, such as:

• Parents and other family members
• Friends who have no knowledge of the student outside of social activities
• Connections that are prestigious but cannot speak to the student’s abilities 

Help For Letter Writers 

Depending on the individual writing the recommendation letter, students may find that some people are unsure of how to write such a letter. While a student’s first inclination may be to offer to write the letter and have the recommender simply sign it, this course of action is completely unethical. 

Instead, a better solution would be for the student to provide the following information along with a written request for a letter of recommendation:

• A resume and list of honors and accomplishments
• A description of skill sets and instances when the student has used them
• Reasons why the student wishes to attend the college in question 

Sample Recommendation Letters

A good starting point for letter writers who are unsure of their abilities is to use sample recommendation letters as a guideline.  Sample letters are available for free from sources such as a student’s guidance counselor or NextStudent’s Web site. Many colleges also offer free resources that pinpoint the information that their admission officers look for in a recommendation letter. 

Students should take responsibility for ensuring that the individuals who they have requested to write recommendation letters have access to free sample letters or other resources necessary for completing the letter. Letters of recommendation are essentially favors, and a writer should not have to go out of their way to create a letter for a student.