JLV College Counseling

IMG_0929 by DoDEA licensed under CC BY 2.0

A large part of the college application is securing the recommendations. The Common Application requires a recommendation from the counselor and a teacher. Other colleges require recommendations from coaches, pastors or volunteer coordinators. Some students view the recommendation as a requirement that carries little weight, while others think it is much more important. It is true that the weight of the recommendation varies depending on the colleges students are considering. In the world of holistic admissions, anything can come into play and a great recommendation can put a student over the top to be admitted. Therefore, students should consider the recommendation an important part of the application process and work just as hard on it as the other application items.

Students should choose a recommendation writer who knows them well. If students are engaged in classes, students should not have a problem finding a teacher who can speak highly of them. However, many students, especially at public schools, will not know their counselors very well. Therefore, students should reach out to counselors early to build a rapport. Students should never ask someone that they just met to write their recommendation because the lack of knowledge someone has about a student will come through in the recommendation. Students never want to have a recommendation sent to a college that says, “I do not have much knowledge about this student.” Although it seems unlikely, colleges receive responses like this every year.

Students should give their recommendation writers much time to prepare their recommendations. Teachers and counselors are busy, especially during the fall when seniors are applying to college. Therefore, it is best to request recommendations as soon as students know they will need them. It is best to schedule a meeting with the recommendation writer to formally ask them to provide the recommendation. Prior to the meeting, students should come prepared with information about the recommendation, deadline information and a brag sheet that gives the recommendation writer further knowledge about the student they may not know. Students should watch their application accounts for confirmation the recommendations were received. If the recommendation has not been received two weeks before the deadline, make sure to give the writer a friendly reminder.

Lastly, students should never forget to thank their recommendation writers. There should a quick thank-you after the recommendation is sent, preferably in writing. Students should also give the recommendation writer updates. For example, if the writer sent a recommendation for college applications, students should let the writer know when college decisions come in, as well as their final decision on the college they will attend. Without the recommendation, the student might not have been as successful. Students should keep this in mind and genuinely thank their recommendation writers throughout the process. Not being appreciative of their work could burn bridges and students never know if or when they will need another recommendation. Therefore, show your appreciation.

By planning and offering support to recommendation writers, students can have glowing reviews sent on their behalf to colleges or scholarship committees. That one recommendation could be the thing tips the scale on the student’s behalf. Therefore, students should view the recommendation just as important as all other items of the application process.

Stand Out From The Crowd… by Steven Depolo licensed under CC BY 2.0

Recommendation forms and letters are common requirements for college and scholarship applications. Many students do not think about recommendations until senior year when they are applying to college. However, recommendations are typically needed for other things such as scholarships, honors programs and even jobs. Therefore, students should be prepared to get the best recommendations possible at all times in their academic careers, not just the senior year. The best recommendations come from someone who can speak about all aspects of a student’s life: academic, activities, and future plans. However, most students do not have a teacher or counselor who knows them this well.

The best way for students to ensure a recommendation writer can write a thorough recommendation is to provide them a brag sheet. The brag sheet gives the reader an insight into parts of the student’s life they may not get to witness themselves. Recommendations can be required from many different types of people including teachers, counselors, coaches, pastors or friends. Most of these people will not know everything a student is doing. Therefore, students should add the following sections, if applicable, to their brag sheet:

• Extracurricular activities. This includes clubs and organizations, as well as activities such as student government, yearbook, newspaper, music and drama.
• Organized sports.
• Volunteer activities.
• Honors and awards.
• Employment.
• Academic information. Students do not need to recreate their transcripts, but should include their grade point average, test scores, and number of Advanced Placement and honors courses taken.
• Community and church activities.
• Summer experiences. Students can include things such as mission trips, community service projects, travel programs (not vacations) and summer school programs at colleges or universities.
• Hobbies. Students should be selective when choosing hobbies because not all hobbies need to be included. Only hobbies that can impress the reader should be included in the brag sheet. Examples of hobbies could be photography, musician, or anything that is done competitively.

Brag sheets should include descriptions of activities (if necessary), leadership positions and the amount of time the student dedicates to the activity. In addition, only high school activities should be included. There is no right or wrong way to create a brag sheet. Therefore, students should be creative and organize it in such a way that makes it attractive and easy to read. One page should be sufficient to include all substantial information about the student.

Students should start putting together their brag sheet as early as the ninth grade. Opportunities that require recommendations can come up at any time, so having a brag sheet readily available will make getting the recommendation easier. In addition, students should continually update their brag sheet as they participate in new activities and receive awards. In addition to providing the brag sheet to recommendation writers, there are other uses:

• Reference. It is possible to forget something, for example, in the ninth grade. Therefore, students should use the brag sheet as a reference when filling out applications to ensure they do not forget any of the great things they have done in the past.
• Give to admissions officer. When visiting colleges, students usually have an opportunity to schedule a meeting with an admission officer. These meetings are a great way to learn more about the college, but also to learn about the chances of being admitted. Students can provide their brag sheet to the admissions officer as they are discussing qualifications.
• Include with your college or scholarship application. Some applications allow students to include addition information, including resumes or brag sheets. While brag sheets should never take the place of the application and students should always answer all of the questions on the application, the brag sheet allows students to provide further detail about activities.

Students should take their time when putting together the brag sheet. In addition, students should not be humble when talking about their accomplishments. In the competitive world of college admissions and scholarships, students must set themselves apart from other applicants. The best way to do this is to brag about everything they have done and include it in the brag sheet. Not only will the students be able to brag about themselves in the application, the recommendation writer with the brag sheet now had the information they need to write a great review. Therefore, students should take their time creating the brag sheet to ensure they include all of the great things they have done.