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Old 06-15-2009, 10:44 PM   #30
CalAlum
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 480
How to get a strong letter of recommendation

Don't draft a letter of recommendation for a teacher.

I've posted on this subject before (why didn't I save those drafts?), having written many, many letters of recommendation for my own graduate students and having sat on admissions committees. Here are some steps you can take:

First, undertake some advance preparation on your own. Develop a resume. Also develop what some high schools call a "brag sheet," a 1-3 page document in which you respond to a number of prompts (you can make up your own; here are some examples):
Your most admirable qualities
Significant academic accomplishment(s)
Most simulating intellectual experience in recent years
Significant summer activities
Discussion of high-school academic record in light of your ability and potential
Future directions and career goals
Explanation of why you believe MIT is a great match for you
etc.

Next, visit the MIT website and thoroughly read through everything there about how MIT assesses evalutions: http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/...ns/index.shtml. You need to find a teacher who both understands how to write a strong letter of recommendation and is willing to do this on your behalf.

Well before you need a letter, contact several teachers to ask if they would be willing to write on your behalf. Explain clearly that you are applying to MIT, and that you know you will need a very strong letter. Show the teachers examples of letters from MIT's website, so that they can see examples of mediocre letters (these are probably the sorts of letters most teachers have been writing for years) and examples of outstanding letters. Present your supplemental information (resume and brag sheet) and very politely ask if they could write you the kind of letter that would give you a chance at MIT.

Last edited by CalAlum; 06-15-2009 at 10:55 PM.
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