F03: Beyond the Form Letter: Recommendations that Get Noticed

• Amanda Ashmead, School of Science and Engineering, Texas

• Mollie Weinstein-Gould, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania

• Sara Urquidez, Academic Success Program Dallas, Texas

What We’ll Cover• How letters are used by colleges and

universities and why they are important

• Tips for how to write effective recommendation letters and how to train others to write them

• Best practices for developing a culture of strong letter writing within your school and/or district

Why Go Beyond the Form Letter?

• To help counselors and teachers write better recommendation letters

• To prepare counselors to build a school culture of effective recommendation writing

• Because of the students

From the Admissions Office:The Why & the How

Things we want to learn:• How a student works with faculty

• How student works with peers

• How student engages in the learning process

• How student impacts the classroom

• How student overcomes difficulties

• How student compares to peers and compares in your career

How letters are used:• Admission decisions

• Scholarship decisions

• Honors programs

• To go beyond the numbers

Tips:• Should be student-specific

• Should be specific to the work in your classroom

• Tell anecdotes, give examples

From the High School:The What & the Why

• From the Counselor…• First opportunity to

advocate for a student• Tell the story only you can

tell about a student• Explain why a college

wants to accept a student – not why a student “deserves” to be there

• Last opportunity to communicate community context

• From the Teacher…• Help the admissions

officers—they are filling niches, show which niche this student fills

• A good match is best for everyone

• Promote the student—don’t just certify them

Writing Effective Letters:Say No

“I am writing in support of Student’s consideration foradmission. Student transferred from Other School where hemaintained a GPA of 3.65. I currently have him intwo classes and he has not distinguishedhimself in any way. This is good and bad; itmeans he is not in the top 1% of the classnor has he really screwed up. He is an averagestudent with a good work ethic. His resume indicates that hehas been working odd jobs at convenience stores and machineshops to pay his way. I would surmise that he could really usethe financial support you would provide. I am recommendingStudent for consideration.”

Writing Effective Letters:Avoid Resume Regurgitation //

Short is Okay, Even Good!

• Intro (See transcript)• “Having selected Student as most outstanding student in both my AP World History

and Dual Credit US History Courses, I could easily devote a good portion of this letterto his impressive academic skills and achievements. But that’s what transcripts arefor.”

• Paragraph #1 (Integrity)• “In an age where honor students are separated by small fractions of a point in

academic standing, Student has brought grading errors to my attention when heknows it will cost him points.”

• Paragraph #2/3 (Leadership/Humility)• “Fellow students seem to gravitate towards Student for counsel and encouragement.

He is not the gregarious type, but his calm measured, and self-assured style inspiresconfidence among his peers… He’s the perfect role model… Rather than being a self-promoter, Student is constantly deflecting credit to others… He’s the consummateteam player…”

• Conclusion (Qualification)• “Over my fourteen year teaching career I have rarely, if ever, encountered the high

caliber student and person that is Student.”

Writing Effective Letters:Discuss Attributes that Transfer to College

"Last year, Student was one of three students to take dual-credit government as aJunior. In the class, she completed her community project by delivering food to thehomeless men living in the Dallas Area ‘Tent City.’ Although Student wasexpected to do this once and then write a paperabout her experience, Student didn’t stop there. Shenot only wrote an extensive research paper completewith graphs and several probability models, she alsocontinued the tradition of giving food to the homelesson her own, without the help of her church, anorganization or friends. Student did not want to include this in hercollege applications because she felt that it was not something extraordinary toreport, but I disagree. No other student at XYZ High School saves up their ownmoney to buy groceries for others, let alone for homeless men. Student isconcerned that a lot of homeless men are not able to eat healthy, so for this reason,she makes sure to provide them with fresh fruit and non perishable items low insugar and sodium. Student hopes to continue this tradition wherever she goes tocollege."

Writing Effective Letters:Tell the Story Only You Can Tell

"As a school, we have notbeen good for Student.She’s an amazing youngwoman—bright, empathic,friendly. However, nothingin her temperament reallyfits well with this geekySTEM environment, andthe fact that she’s done sowell here is a testament toher ability to adapt andmake the best of almostanything."

"Remarkably, she’s come through it intact.She’s literally the best student in the classwhen it comes to being willing to ask aquestion that needed to be asked—she’slike a canary in the coal mine for when theclass is starting to lose the thread of alesson. She worries about her academicability—though I promise you, by anynormal yardstick, it’s fine—but she’sremained a good worker, always willingto give every assignment her best effort.She’s cheerful, and she genuinely likes herclassmates—she’s made real friends outof people she has nothing in commonwith, and openly admires those who aremuch more successful than she. "

Writing Effective Letters:Remember What “Average” Means

• Three Million students graduated high school in 2015• That October, 46% were enrolled in a 4-year school. (Bureau of Labor

Statistics)

• Advanced Placement (College Board data—2014 Report to the Nation)

• Only 1 in 3 seniors takes at least one AP exam• Only 1 in 5 seniors scores higher than a 3 on any AP exam.• Around 300,000—1 in 10—take AP Calculus (2016 College Board data)

• College Readiness Standards• SAT (new): EBRW-480, Math-530• ACT: English-18, Reading-22, Math-22, Science 23.

• 28% met all 4

Best Practices:Tools that Develop a Culture

• Bring in Admissions Officers for professional development • Helps teachers understand the importance of recommendation

letters in the process and what colleges are looking for in letters

• Ask for feedback from Admissions at the end of the admissions cycle

• Foster an environment where teachers feel comfortable asking you for feedback

• Remember: You are the expert – you can offer constructive feedback to others about their recommendations

• Recognize good recommendation letters / writers • Encourage collaboration between teachers to share

recommendations• Help teachers understand what they can write about

Best Practices:Tools that Help Everyone

• Share Senior Survey answers with all staff members

• Provides more insight than a resume, allows staff members to have more context while writing

• Ask thought-provoking questions that encourage students to share more rather than list more.

• Allows you to prioritize recommendation writing

Best Practices:Managing Large Case Loads

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions!• Why are they asking you?

• What is the Letter of Recommendation for?• Not every letter is time-sensitive; not every letter has to be

written

• Who should they be asking?• Help students find a better option if one exists

• How should students be asking?• Teach students to effectively ask for letters of recommendations

Best Practices:Managing Large Case Loads

• Know Your Deadlines // Prioritize Your Deadlines• Identify School Trends and Organize Your Workflow Accordingly

• Adhere to a schedule, but know that it’s written in pencil

• Recommendation letters can’t always be “on-demand”

• Communicate a clear process to students and families before the frenzy begins

• Use – But Don’t Abuse – Your Network• No one needs to be a hero – Approach your faculty and staff

• Coaches, club advisors, and favorite teachers all have insight to share – ask for information

• Buy yourself time when necessary

• Don’t use an eighteen-year-old’s brain to determine their future and your response –the adults involved should (and mostly will!) understand

Q & A

Amanda Ashmead, School of Science and Engineering, Dallas, TX

aashmead@dallasisd.org

Mollie Weinstein-Gould, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

molliew@upenn.edu

Sara Urquidez, Academic Success Program, Dallas, TX

smiller@aspdallas.org