JOB VACANCY OPERATOR WARNET GAJI BESAR

 

Myth 2: No One Reads Recommendation Letters Anyway

Prospective international students may think those reviewing their application may not even bother to read the letters, but that’s not so.

“This is absolutely not true! At Grinnell, we read the recommendation letters,” says Sarah Fischer, assistant vice president of admission at“It’s better to ask someone who truly knows you than a random teacher in your area of interest,” Cardoso says.

Also, Costa says a high-profile letter can come off as entitlement or name-dropping, “which could be perceived as a distasteful demonstration of the student’s sense of privilege.”

However, she says if the well-known person actually knows the student very well through their direct experience, “that can be a powerful endorsement.” in Iowa.

She says letters add an important dimensionality to the application by helping a school better understand students' personalities and the roles they play in the classroom, their school and in their community.

“Recommendation letters also give us insight into any special circumstances that may have affected the student’s learning and they can shed light on the student’s life experiences,” Fischer says.

Hoffman has been reviewing applications for 10 years. She says she has read thousands of recommendation letters and respects the time and thought by teachers and counselors who carefully use “the right adjectives and descriptors to truly let us know the student's character, abilities and tenacity.”

Myth 3: A Letter From a High-Profile Person is Best

Getting a letter from a high-profile academic or other leader who barely knows the student won’t get an applicant any extra points.

“Honestly, I rarely look at the title of the person writing the letter,” Hoffman says. “The better the recommender not only knows the student, but can genuinely speak to their character, qualities and abilities, the more weight that letter will carry, regardless of the title.”

Cardoso says getting a recommendation letter from a teacher that knew her well was the most important to her.