Letter of rec or character reference?

Sikorsky
Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:17:57 +0000

I think she’s telling you, nicely if obliquely, that you should be asking somebody else to write your required letters of recommendation.

Colleges don’t really want a character reference–at least, not nearly as much as they want a recommendation letter from teachers who have taught you. Here’s why. Applying to college is very much like applying for a job. The position you’re applying for is student. Understandably, college admissions committees want to know how you’ve performed in similar positions in the past. So they ask for letters of recommendation from people who have taught you in an academic subject. These people can talk knowledgeably about your intelligence, your work ethic, your ability to collaborate or to be flexible in your thinking, etc.

As invader71 has said, you need one or two strong letters from teachers who have taught you in academic subjects (usually defined as English, math, science, social studies or foreign language). Usually you may supplement the required one or two letters (some colleges require two such letters, some only one, and some require no teacher recommendation at all) with a letter from another person if that person can provide a perspective on you that the classroom teachers can’t. I believe this is what the student-government advisor is offering to do for you. If she was something of a mentor to you, it’s an appropriate (and generous) offer.

The fact that she no longer teaches is not relevant.