The Recommendation Letter
The importance of the recommendation letter and how to request them.
In the most recent NACAC State of College Admissions report, more than 50% of the colleges responded that the teacher and counselor recommendations were of moderate or considerable importance in their admissions decisions. In basic terms, this means the recommendation letters are nothing to shrug off. As with the essays, this is another way for students set themselves apart from the ‘competition’ and give the reader more details about who they are.
Each college has different specifications for how many recommendation letters they require, recommend or will accept. Typically they require one from a counselor and at least one from a teacher. Students need to be sure to fulfill these requirements and ask the proper people. If a letter from a teacher is required, it should be a teacher from their school, preferably from a core subject. Students should only submit supplemental letters from recommenders connected to an extracurricular activity or something outside of school after they have fulfilled the teacher and counselor recommendation requirements and even then, only if the college accepts 'others'.
It is important for students to ask someone who knows them well and with whom they have had a good relationship. The last thing the admissions office wants to read is another generic letter. If students feel that the teacher or counselor may need more information about them in order to write a detailed letter, they can give the recommender a ‘brag sheet’ or resume with the details of their accomplishments and academic history. This can be a great help for infusing letters with personal details about the student. Note that one detail the recommendation letter should not contain is the names of the other schools to which the student is applying.
A common mistake made during this process is students not giving their recommenders enough time to write a quality letter. Keep in mind that they are most likely writing letters for many other students and will need more than just a few days. I suggest requesting the letters in August to allow plenty of time to meet any of the application deadlines. Students can check the status of the recommendation letters by logging in to whichever application platform they are using, but they will not be able to read them.
Whether it is via Common App, Coalition App, Naviance or another platform the student uses to request recommendations, they should be sure to formally ask their teachers and counselors in person before sending the request online. Not only is this the polite thing to do, it also gives the recommender a chance to ask the student any questions they may have before writing their letter. They will more than likely be happy to hear more about the student's future plans and colleges they are interested in.
Students should begin thinking about their recommendation letters earlier than senior year. If they have someone they think they would like to have write a letter, they can foster that relationship earlier on. Many students even ask for their letters at the end of junior year to give the recommenders more time before the rush of the new school year begins.
Tips for Recommenders:
https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2016/12/02/how-write-stronger-letters-recommendation-students-essay
For Students:
Demonstrated Interest
A term which is somewhat unknown to many new to the college search and application process has been gaining a lot more attention recently. ‘Demonstrated Interest’ is real and very much alive! Although one can not be certain how much weight it has in the admission decision, it is not something to be brushed aside.
A term which is somewhat unknown to many new to the college search and application process has been gaining a lot more attention recently. 'Demonstrated Interest' is real and very much alive! Although one can not be certain how much weight it has in the admission decision, it is not something to be brushed aside.
In the 2016 NACAC Admission Trends Survey, nearly 40% of the colleges responding rated demonstrated interest to be of moderate or considerate importance in their admissions decisions. Although we can not be certain what that means, we can safely assume that if a student is matched up with a candidate of very similar caliber, having demonstrated interest would give them the advantage.
What is it? It is pretty much all in the name. It is the student showing their interest in their potential colleges. It is the student letting the school know they are considering it. It is a student establishing a relationship with the school. It is the student putting themselves on the school's radar.
Why should you do it? Colleges have a tough decision deciding between thousands of quality applicants and knowing that a student has taken the time to connect with the school and get to know it demonstrates to them that they have a genuine interest. They want to enroll a certain number of students and students who have demonstrated interested are more likely to accept their offers of acceptance. Makes sense, right?
How do you do it? There are many ways to demonstrate interest, most of which will likely occur on their own as you are doing proper research to find which schools are a good fit. Going on campus visits, requesting information, emailing admissions with questions, attending college fairs and speaking to your local admissions representatives, participating in interviews if available, following the schools on social media platforms, and applying to Early Decision or Early Action deadlines are all common and somewhat easy ways to demonstrate interest. When you attend official campus tours, the colleges usually collect your information. If you decide to do your own, be sure to stop in at the admissions office and speak with a representative to get your name on their 'list'.
No need to go crazy emailing admissions on repeat and risk annoying the already extremely busy staff, just do your due diligence with your research and be sure to show the schools you are interested in some love! As always, be real, be YOU.
For more information on this topic listen to Ethan Sawyer, The College Essay Guy in his podcast: https://www.collegeessayguy.com/podcast-stream/demonstrated-interest-how-to-build-authentic-relationships-with-colleges-and-why-its-a-good-idea
Parenting Your Child Through the College Application Process
While helping your child search for and apply to college is an exciting time, you are most likely battling both of your feelings of stress and anxiety on the side. Here are several tips to tackle those feelings and help you and your student along the way.
While helping your child search for and apply to college is an exciting time, you are most likely battling both of your feelings of stress and anxiety on the side. Here are several tips to tackle those feelings and help you and your student along the way.
Listen – This process is about your child discovering themselves and their dreams. Although they may not have an exact idea of what they want, you can definitely help them if you only listen. The college search is about finding what fits them, not what fits you. Understand what their strengths are and help them go from there. You may think you know what is best for them, but this is a time for you to listen and learn from your child. Let them direct the search. Ask questions instead of giving answers.
Visit – You may have read my previous post about campus visits, but if you have not, do not underestimate the importance of them. Touring schools gives your student the chance to learn more about what they want from their future college and helps them fine tune their search to schools which are a better match. Go on the tours with them, notice what gets them excited and ask them questions to help them ground their opinions along the way. It is a great time for some family roadtrips!
Do not focus solely on those big names and rankings - If you have Googled schools or discussed them with your friends or peers, chances are the famous (or infamous if you ask most college counselors) U.S. News & World Report rankings have been mentioned. While those lists are undoubtedly filled with great schools, there are thousands more out there worthy of consideration. Those rankings are created using questionable data and leave many important factors out of the picture (read this Washington Post article for more on that). If you only focus on those lists or the big name schools, you are missing out on finding others which may be much better matches for your student. Not only that, you are adding to the anxiety and pressure your student may be feeling to get into one of those schools. You want them to be comfortable with wherever they are accepted, not setting them up for a potential let down.
Teach self advocacy – you can use this time to teach your student to advocate for themselves if they are not already. Once they get to school, you won't be there to call their professors or take them to their doctor's appointments. Let them take ownership of this process and teach them to take care of themselves. If they need something for their applications, let them be the one to ask their counselor or teacher. If they want more information from a college or would like to contest a financial aid award or admissions decision, they need to do this for themselves. In fact, it is viewed poorly when a parent contacts a potential college on behalf of their perfectly capable child. Send them off to college knowing they can take care of themselves!
Last but not least, remember that where your child goes is not a reflection of your parenting success. Yes, you can most likely attribute part of their success in high school to your parenting and support. Yes, you probably had an affect on their decision to go to college and where they are going. However, the school and career path they choose is their own and in no way should you think less of yourself as a parent because of their decision. Your child is becoming an adult and their choices are their own to make. Congratulations on making it this far and enjoy your time left with your child at home!