A “letter of recommendation” is required explicitly by an academic programme and should be sent directly to the university by the professor or employer without you seeing it. The document should be
300-400 words long
and should present your character, accomplishments and abilities from an objective perspective.
How long should a recommendation letter be?
The recommendation letter should be
no more than two pages in length
. Although a recommendation letter is more about quality than quantity, a letter containing only a few sentences is not recommended.
How long should a college peer recommendation be?
A peer letter of recommendation is generally
about one page long
and is less formal than letters of recommendation coming from teachers and advisors. While you can write a letter of recommendation for a friend in a more personal voice, this is still a persuasive piece of writing.
What should be in a college recommendation letter?
- Think carefully about saying yes. …
- Focus on the particular school. …
- Collect information. …
- Mention how you know the student. …
- Include specific examples. …
- Remain positive. …
- Avoid clichés. …
- Share your contact information.
Do colleges accept peer recommendations?
Letters of recommendation from teachers and advisors are commonplace in college admissions, but
some colleges require or encourage submitting a peer rec letter
as well.
How many letters of recommendation does Harvard require?
Harvard requires
two letters of recommendation
from teachers and one from your school counselor. You probably don't have much choice with the counselor recommendation, since most students have the same counselor throughout their four years of high school.
How do you write a strong letter of recommendation?
- Decide whether you can write a good letter for the applicant. …
- It is OK to say no. …
- Request as much information as possible before you begin writing. …
- Do some research. …
- Set aside ample time. …
- Be specific. …
- Avoid cliché descriptors and platitudes. …
- Organize the letter chronologically or thematically.
How important are letters of recommendation for college?
While letters of recommendation are just one part of your application, they do
play an important role in the college admissions process
. These letters provide admission representatives with valuable information that's not necessarily obvious from your college application alone.
What makes a good letter of recommendation?
A recommendation letter should include information on who you are,
your connection with the person you are recommending
, why they are qualified, and the specific skills they have. Specifics. Whenever possible, it's helpful to provide specific anecdotes and examples that illustrate your support.
What colleges accept peer recommendations?
Requirements for Peer Recommendations. The only two schools that require peer recs so far are
Dartmouth and Davidson
(well, Dartmouth just “strongly encourages” that you send one, but that's the same as required when you're applying to such a selective school).
How do you end a peer recommendation?
In the conclusion to your peer recommendation, it's
a good idea to restate your support for your friend
, much as you did in the introduction, as well as describe how you envision her at college.
Do colleges read optional recommendations?
Optional letters of recommendation are truly optional
so if you decide to send them, make sure that they're not repeating what some of your other recommendations say.
Does Harvard accept homeschoolers?
Each applicant to Harvard College is considered with great care and
homeschooled applicants are treated the same as all other applicants
. There is no special process, but all relevant information about your educational and personal background is welcome.
What GPA is required for Harvard?
In truth, you need
close to a 4.0 unweighted GPA
to get into Harvard. That means nearly straight As in every class.
What is the hardest college to get into?
- Harvard University. Cambridge, MA. …
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA. …
- Yale University. New Haven, CT. …
- Stanford University. Palo Alto, CA. …
- Brown University. Providence, RI. 5.5% …
- Duke University. Durham, NC. 5.8% …
- University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA. 5.9% …
- Dartmouth College.
What makes a letter of recommendation stand out?
What Makes a Great Recommendation Letter? Your recommendation letter should come from a recent teacher or other source who knows you well. Your
letter should highlight your most important personal and academic strengths
, as well as support them with examples.
