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In college applications, you explain to the colleges why you should be a part of their entering class of students. Colleges request recommendation letters so that your teachers, advisors, and other adults will do the same. Most students feel that getting letters of recommendation is easy. You don’t have to write anything – just give the forms to some people who like you and they’ll do all the work. This is not a fruitful method of getting good recommendations. While you may think that you have no control over what your recommendation letters will say, you actually have tremendous control in that you get to choose who writes them. Use this power wisely by selecting recommenders who can tell a great story about you. For example, if you approach a teacher and ask him to write your evaluation, and he responds, "What's your name again?" that's a hint that he's not the one for you. You want recommenders who can write about the specifics of your life, providing personal anecdotes and examples if possible. Only people who know you well can refer to specific incidents and even provide humorous stories that not only lend a genuineness to their evaluations but also make them memorable. College admissions officers will read thousands of evaluations, and for yours to stand out, it needs to be written in a way that is different from the rest. The sad fact is that most students pick recommenders who do not know them well enough. Even if a teacher gave you an “A+,” you may not necessarily want an evaluation from her, especially if you did not have the chance to get to know her. In high school many teachers may give you “A’s” (we hope all), but only a few really know you well enough to be able to cite specifics. An evaluation from a teacher who does not know you well but who gave you a good grade will certainly contain such generic compliments as “So-and-so is a fine student,” or “So-and-so is great at such-and-such subject.” These phrases, however, will appear in almost every other applicant’s evaluation. Such evaluations are of little value in helping you to stand out. Only a handful of evaluations, those from recommenders who really know the student, will contain such unforgettable phrases as, “So-and-so is not only the best English student I have had but has nearly doubled the readership of our literary magazine,” or “So-and-so wrote an article on drug use in our school that was the talk of the town for months.” These statements, which when supported by vivid details, will be the ones that admissions officers will not be able to forget. Whenever possible, try to select a good combination of recommenders who can praise your academic, extracurricular, leadership, and motivational abilities. Let’s take a look at such an example. Tom, a student who was accepted at both Princeton and Berkeley, had two high school teachers and a student council advisor write evaluations. However, in addition to writing about his academic achievements, his teachers were also able to comment on his involvement in groups that they advised, namely the speech team and the school newspaper. Thus, while Tom’s teacher evaluations provided solid evidence of his scholastic aptitude, they also showed his other interests and abilities. A third evaluation from his student council advisor completed the picture of Tom as an all-around outstanding student by describing his contributions to the school community. Great recommendations can significantly enhance your applications. While you can’t control every word that is written in your recommendations, remember that you actually have far greater power – the ability to choose who writes them. Choose wisely.
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