dudemancool123

I had asked a friend of mine from Paris who I have known for two years to write my peer evaluation. Though he is a year younger than me, we are quite close. I had helped him a lot with his transition from an all French environment to an all English environment, and from living with his parents in Paris his entire life to boarding in a private school in Canada. Although his writing skills are far from perfect, he is more than willing to take the time to ask for grammatical and syntax editting for his English teachers.

I thought he would be the perfect writer of the peer evaluation, but my counselor strongly disagreed. He believes that my friend's english level is nowhere near strong enough to write a peer evaluation worthy of an application to an institution as prestigious as Dartmouth, and he claims that by using the word "peer", Dartmouth literally means they want an evaluation from someone who is my academic and lingustic equal, and who is as dedicated to community involvement as I am. He believes that it is far better for me to find an "equal" to write this letter for me, even if that person does not know me very well, than for me to get a trusted and dedicated friend who have sub-par writing abilities and does not have spectacular academics or community involvement.

I know my counselor is well-intentioned, and is generally quite experienced on these matters, but his interpretation of the Dartmouth peer evaluation standards is so different from mine that I thought it would be best to consult you guys.

Consolation

I think that your friend's ability to tell a personal story about you far outweighs his ability to write well in English. Although it certainly would be a good thing for him to run what he writes by someone who can make sure that it is comprehensible, it's important that they not take the life out of it.

ohmadre

I agree. My understanding is that the intent of the peer evaluation is to provide Admissions with a glimpse of who you are beyond that which is readily apparent to them from the balance of your application. If your friend's evaluation will provide some anecdotal evidence of some of your positive traits, it serves the intended purpose.

dudemancool123

So getting a close friend who is poor at English and has relatively weak grades (Bs) to write my peer evaluation would not hurt it in anyway, right?

ohmadre

It could hurt if it has no real content, or if it is so poorly written as to be unable to convey the content.

dudemancool123

Hmm...

Well, it seems I have two options.

Option 1:

My French friend, who knows me very well and is more than willing to write me an evaluation, but is not very involved, has poor writing ability, and gets only average grades.

Option 2:

My caucasian friend, who knows me fairly well, but is somewhat reluctant to take the time to write a peer evaluation letter for me. However, he is an excellent writer, is extremely involved in the community and the school, has flawless grades, and got 2300+ on his SATs. He is probably the person in my school with the best shot at HYP/Stanford, and my counselor strongly recommends that I get a peer evaluation from him rather than my French friend.


Who should I go with?

phlipper101

Option 1 no doubt! It will be a lot more valuable and Dartmouth doesn't look at the grades of you recommender nor do they dissect their writing.

b'smom

Just remind your french friend to tell stories and give examples - that will make good writing.

Consolation

D will not know your friends' grades and SAT scores, for heaven's sake. They are looking to get a bit more insight into you personally. Go with your French friend, and advise him to make it personal and include at least one real anecdote that exemplifies you and how you helped him.

Elou24

Wouldn't it just be easier to ask your french friend to write his letter in french, then ask someone to translate it in english ? Isn't it what everyone does ?