When you are requested to write a letter of recommendation for college admission for a potential candidate, it is, without a doubt, a big responsibility. What you write in the letter of recommendation can help make or break the hopes of a student. A letter of recommendation often adds extra weight to the personality of a potential candidate applying for a college in the eyes of the college administrators.
However, the letter of recommendation for college is not just about helping others, but it’s also about building your own reputation. So if you have been requested to write a letter of recommendation, you must not only consider the needs of the student, but your reputation as well.
Whatever your occupation or position may be, if a potential student has requested you to write a letter of recommendation for college, it ought to be as good as it can get. Here are some secrets to writing an outstanding letter of recommendation for college.
1. Make the Letter Short and Sweet
There is a mistaken perception among many that writing a long letter full of overblown statements and flattery could improve the reputation of the student. But this is actually far from the truth. In such a busy world, it is rare that a college administrator would have the time and focus in reading long letters, when there are hundreds of admission requests in front of him/her. So make the letter concise and write only the things that you feel are the most important.
2. Add a Personalized Touch to the Letter
An outstanding letter of recommendation for college need not be fully professional. A bit of personal touch can add a lot of extra merit to the letter. A lot of institutions often use the same texts for writing the recommendation letter. So much so that a lot of the times only the names are replaced and everything else is the same. Such a recommendation letter could not only decrease the chances of a student, but in the long run it could also hurt the reputation of the institution. So it would certainly be a wise idea to add a bit of personal touch in the letter. Even in a pre-formatted sample, it wouldn’t take much time to add a few words of personal experience.
3. Think from the Readers’ Point of View
While writing a good letter of recommendation for college, you really need to think whether the reader of the letter would respond positively to your letter or not. If necessary, make the extra effort to communicate with the college administration and try to make sense of what an institution like that expects to see in the letter. Since you have a tremendous responsibility, ensure that you are writing important points that should not be ignored or avoided.
4. Make Valid Comparisons
All students would certainly expect you to write a good letter of recommendation for college, especially if you are a teacher or an instructor. However, you shouldn’t be avoiding the fact that you are writing a letter for a potential student who will be compared against hundreds of applicants. So dare to put comparisons about the candidate in your letter. Make a good attempt at explaining how your candidate fared in the past against the others and what qualities he possess that make him stand out. If you need to recommend a student who really is exceptional and talented, then write a few facts about how he/she excelled within the given environment.
5. Put the Spotlight on the Candidate
An outstanding letter of recommendation for college should focus exclusively towards the student and his/her context rather than overall happenings around the student. Put genuine emphasis on why the candidate deserves to be in the institute and why he should be given scholarships.
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