<p>Hi,
I’m applying to Columbia this fall. So far, my high school have not sent any student to the top 20 colleges. I plan to request some letters of rec from my teachers and counselors, but still not sure what they should say about me in those letters of rec.
I heard someone say that mentioning the student GPA and test scores in the letters of rec is really bad, isn’t it? Can you tell me what aspects of a student the teachers should write about? (characters, family context, academics, curiosity, i.e) </p>
<p>Should the letters have phrases like “X is the most extraordinary student I have met in my 11-year career in education?”(one of my letters of rec actually says something like that.)
I think that phrase is really an exaggeration, and believe that the admission committee
wont like that either.
So, please give me some advices on helping my teachers write good letters of rec.</p>
<p>so you’re saying your teachers do not know what to mention in a rec letter?</p>
<p>-don’t mention stats. they can see all that on the rest of the app.
-generally comment on the student’s leadership, tolerance, ability, passion, work ethic etc.
-specific examples of the above, if appropriate
-those phrases (“X is the most extraordinary student…”) are ok if they are truthful. not particularly helpful, but honesty is always appreciated.
-don’t write anything negative about the student. if the teacher is tempted to, they should inform you that they cannot write you a good reference letter.
-your counselor(s) should mention any circumstances that could have affected your application (illness, family issues, etc.), rigor of your courseload, and similar issues that put your achievements in context.</p>
<p>when i applied, i wanted to focus on three angles: my political involvement in the 08 election, my work starting a school bike club, and my work as student body president. it was too much to cram into columbia’s one essay, so i focused my main app on the election, got a teacher to write one focusing on the biking stuff, and my principal to write one about my work as student body president.</p>
<p>I would just like to emphasize the “specific examples.” Teacher recs give deep personal insight to a student from an external source that the application would otherwise lack. The rec should mention specific experiences with you with details that make you sound like the greatest person on the earth. If your teacher has to resort to GPA/rank descriptions to describe the kind of student you are, you ought to get a teacher that knows you better and can write other things about you not already on the application. </p>
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<p>I think there is a place on the actual application (I know CommonApp has a place; can’t remember Columbia’s but pretty sure) to describe your strength as a student relative to others, but it wouldn’t hurt to write it again in the letter.</p>
<p>I disagree with this, recs from teachers don’t need to perfect, they need to be specific, individual and realistic. A little criticism shows that the teacher is not just blinded but experienced and recognizes that you are a top student despite some short comings. </p>
<p>Colleges too do not look for perfect records, as much as they look for people who have beaten odds or even overcome personal lulls like a period of low motivation or a short term lack of discipline. Columbia students are like this (or any univ’s students). The real challenge at columbia is speeding up and asking for help when you slow down, it isn’tt understanding all the incredibly difficult material, because most material is not incredibly difficult. What Columbia really wants to know, is your ability to dig yourself out of a ditch.</p>
<p>Great things that a teacher could say: “spends his/her time teaching students x,y,z after class”
“willing to take on initiative, for example…”
“decided to read up on X on his/her own and came to me to find out more, natural curiosity for the subject”
“consistently put in more time and effort into assignments”
“found chapter X very tough, but knew that s/he was struggling, sought help and put in the extra time”
“eagerly asks and answers questions in class”</p>
<p>this sounds like a more realistic (and kick a$$) recommendation. Columbia would any day choose such a student over</p>
<p>“consistently scores top grades, and is often bored in class”</p>
Not if the teachers haven’t done much of it before. Depends on the school/teacher</p>
<p>
I thought someone would disagree. I should probably clarify and say that, if it were a shortcoming that brings out other positive qualities, it can be mentioned and done so effectively. clearly, “lazy” or “foul” etc do not belong in a rec, though “not the brightest student but is hardworking and a team player” would.</p>
<p>Both of my letters had that. But they also explained using details and examples why I was extraordinary. I bet a lot of people who are accepted into top schools have LoRs saying they’re the best student in X years, with credibility</p>