Importance of Letter of Reccomendations

[Anonymous]

How important are letter of reccomendations submitted for college applications. A lot of parents write their kids got an excellent letter of reccomendation - how do they get to know? Are these letters not sent directly to the colleges. How do parents get to see them, or know the kid got a strong/excellent letter of reccomendation. Just trying to understand

[Anonymous]

So my kid got a recommendation and Edinburgh asked us to send them another copy of it on headed paper from the high school, because the teacher had sent it to them via his gmail not school account. We did that, and it was quite long and an excellent rec. But what I noticed was the beginning and the end could have been about literally ANY KID, only the middle paragraph was specifically about mine. Anyway, it worked and my kid got an offer within 24 hrs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How important are letter of reccomendations submitted for college applications. A lot of parents write their kids got an excellent letter of reccomendation - how do they get to know? Are these letters not sent directly to the colleges. How do parents get to see them, or know the kid got a strong/excellent letter of reccomendation. Just trying to understand

I think people have the right to see their college acceptance file if they really want to pursue it. But generally, LORs matter at T20 schools where every applicant is outstanding. And no, you don't see it when it's going out. Teachers will get brag sheets from a gazillion students. They are only sending something really outstanding for the more remarkable students. Otherwise, it's another chore. I told my kids to find their LOR teachers in junior year. And be good students and pleasant in those classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How important are letter of reccomendations submitted for college applications. A lot of parents write their kids got an excellent letter of reccomendation - how do they get to know? Are these letters not sent directly to the colleges. How do parents get to see them, or know the kid got a strong/excellent letter of reccomendation. Just trying to understand

I think people have the right to see their college acceptance file if they really want to pursue it. But generally, LORs matter at T20 schools where every applicant is outstanding. And no, you don't see it when it's going out. Teachers will get brag sheets from a gazillion students. They are only sending something really outstanding for the more remarkable students. Otherwise, it's another chore. I told my kids to find their LOR teachers in junior year. And be good students and pleasant in those classes.

Me too!

[Anonymous]

Several of the top publics don’t accept them as part of the admissions process.

They are as useful as most job references - not very useful at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Several of the top publics don’t accept them as part of the admissions process.

They are as useful as most job references - not very useful at all.

It depends very much on the institution. I can understand a low ranking public school is going to have less of a nuanced look at applications than a small private etc.

[Anonymous]

My son's teachers gave him a copy. He did not ask for it but they gave him a copy anyway.
It was quite heartwarming to read as my son has never been a people pleaser. It was so nice to see that his teachers truly saw him for who he was.
And I think it made a difference for him as far as college applications went. I feel it humanized him in a sea of 4.0s and 1500++ SATs

[Anonymous]

Wrote 3-4 page brag sheet at end of junior year and became indispensable to teacher.

[Anonymous]

Elite colleges do not expect that much from public school recommendations since they realize teachers are overwhelmed and there are very limited college counseling resources. Colleges are mostly looking for confirmation that the student took the most challenging courses in the subject and that the student was one of the best in the class and went beyond expectations. It is very rare for public school teachers to share recommendations with students or parents.

On the other hand, they make a world of difference for students in private schools (and magnets like TJ) with substantial college counseling resources. My alma mater's regional admissions officer said that the numbers were essentially all bunched up for applicants from DCs' school and that her strongest applicants had effusive recommendations of teachers/counselors with track records of writing them. In our experience, the teachers who shared their recommendations thought exceptionally highly of our DCs and it was part of our parent/teacher meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wrote 3-4 page brag sheet at end of junior year and became indispensable to teacher.

How do you become “indispensable to [a] teacher”?

[Anonymous]

I never saw them for my kids but I know they were excellent, based on the kind of students they were and how they contributed to their classes and the school community

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son's teachers gave him a copy. He did not ask for it but they gave him a copy anyway.
It was quite heartwarming to read as my son has never been a people pleaser. It was so nice to see that his teachers truly saw him for who he was.
And I think it made a difference for him as far as college applications went. I feel it humanized him in a sea of 4.0s and 1500++ SATs

All of my kids teachers did this as well. I think it was to double check with the kids that they didn't leave anything out or get anything wrong. I was very grateful for the amount of work the teachers put in. You could tell they really cared

[Anonymous]

secret sauce of feeder schools: LOR from known quantities (HOS, the history or math teacher with 30 years experience, guidance counselors who date back to the days of college/high school retreats/small conferences)

[Anonymous]

With ferpa he waived his right to see it. I think they can't really hurt you if they are status quo--but can really help you if they are good. GL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:secret sauce of feeder schools: LOR from known quantities (HOS, the history or math teacher with 30 years experience, guidance counselors who date back to the days of college/high school retreats/small conferences)

Yes. This. If you are lucky enough to get certain teachers they can hold a lot of weight (although some of them are quite difficult teachers so it's a mixed bag--only a few students will get an A)