Confused about request for parent LOR

CrewDad
Tue, 10 Dec 2013 18:30:52 +0000

All parents are offered the option to submit a letter.

The history of the parental reference letter is interesting.



Over a decade ago, when I [Sally Rubenstein] worked in the admission office at Smith College, the administration decided to offer parents the opportunity to write a reference for their applicant daughters. Frankly, this was begun as a PR ploy. The idea was that Mom and Dad would say, “Gee, finally a college that cares about US and what WE think” and then they’d encourage their daughters to attend Smith.

Well, even if the concept was self-serving, we discovered that the parent letters were a huge plus. We often saw sides of our candidates that weren’t revealed anywhere else in their applications…



[Parent Recommendation Letters to Colleges - Ask The Dean](http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/parent-recommendation-letters-to-colleges.htm)



But there’s a reason Smith has stuck with the process for about 20 years now, despite the extra work, says Smith’s director of admission, Deb Shaver. Sometimes parents offer just the kind of color that can bring to life a candidate whose full personality is hidden in a portrait painted only with grades, test scores and traditional recommendation letters from teachers and guidance counselors.

“You might think they do nothing but brag,” Shaver said. “But parents really nail their kids. They really get to the essence of what their daughter is about in a way we can’t get anywhere else.”



[Some colleges weigh parent letters in admissions - SFGate](http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Some-colleges-weigh-parent-letters-in-admissions-3415410.php)