hey guys, as an international student most of my teachers aren’t native english speakers so my school gives them this “template” to fill in, it can be very bland and basic in comparison to other students’
if all other parts of my app are solid, will this hurt me?
I imagine the answer largely depends on where you are applying. Harvard? Yes, a basic template letter is probably less helpful than a glowing letter of recommendation that swears that you’ll change the world some day. Average university? Probably not. Most universities seem to make admission decisions largely on the basis of grades and test scores (and finances for international students). As long as those are fine, I imagine that letters of recommendation are mostly scanned for negative entries, like behavioral problems.
Hey, @manalb Please, Please don’t allow them to use a template. I was watching a youtube video by Questbridge on what good or glowing recommendation letters have in common. Encourage your teachers to watch that video with you or you watch it then explain it to them. Go to Prepscholar on Google and print out those outstanding letters and the breakdowns on what makes them good. Give it to your teachers to read. And if they still cannot write it, offer to be there with them while they write it. Listen, im not an expert but I know you wouldn’t want something as a letter standing in your way so most definetly try to make it better than a template. what I caught from the admission officers is that the letter tells them abt fit. All students who apply are qualified but will all students fit? And they look for that in the letter. They look for intangibles like “why” do you do the things you do. They’ll see what you do but not why. And a letter is a good way to contextualize you. To picture you in their classroom setting and what contribution you will make. Hope this helps and don’t stress if its out of your hands. They understand, but I’m just encouraging you to try. God Bless 