A college recommendation letter sample is helpful for those of you who are required to draft recommendation letters for your students seeking admission to various colleges.
Apart from the good grades and the outstanding performance in extracurricular activities, a good letter of recommendation will always give you the boost you need to get into the college of your dreams. This is why, choosing the person who writes this for you is very important. The person should be someone who knows you well, is aware of your qualities beyond your education, and someone who can sincerely vouch for you as an appropriate candidate. This may be a teacher, with whom you have a good association. It need not necessarily be the principal (simply because of her/his title) who may know little about you. In fact, the one written by that teacher who knows you well is likely to be more genuine than the one written by your principal. Here’s a look into the art of writing a good college recommendation letter sample.
How to Write?
While knowing the person the letter will be addressed to is absolutely perfect, if you don’t, you may simply address it as Dear Madam/Sir, followed by the person you are writing it for. When you write, do understand that the college is already aware of the educational capacity of the student you are vouching for. What you need to mention is the duration you have known the student, her/his personal qualities, such as hard work, dedication, teamwork, leadership, etc. Citing short examples to prove these qualities may also be a good idea. However, the write-up should not become too long. It should be concise, yet well explained. Do not go overboard with praises. Keep in mind that it should seem genuine, not a compilation of words from a Thesaurus. With the example given below, you will be able to understand how exactly you can go about this.
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Date
Dear Madam/Sir (or Name of the Counselor), I find myself extremely proud to be recommending Dayana Miller for admission to the undergraduate program she has applied for in your college. Having been her professor of American English Literature at Crane High School (New Jersey) for two years now, I can only say that Dayana has been among some of the most remarkable students I have come across. Her educational achievements are already there for you to see, but I would like to familiarize you with what I have learned about her in these 2 years that I have known her. Apart from being one of the brighter students in my class, Dayana has this commendable talent to write some of the most touching and convincing pieces of writing. She is deeply committed to environmental protection, and this quality was clear when this subject formed a constant basis of the articles she regularly wrote for the school newspaper. After much deliberation, she founded the Environmental club at Crane High School, which has now become one of the most active clubs in the school. Along with other club members, Dayana has successfully carried out several activities pertaining to environment protection, such as banning the use of plastic bags in school premises, getting students and teachers to plant trees, and appointing a special police comprising members of the environment club to stop students from littering in the school premises. This only goes to show her sensitivity towards her surroundings. A natural leader, Dayana still has the capacity to be a good team player without appearing presumptuous. She is someone who is not only diligent and lively, but someone who can multi-task with utmost ease; a quality that my colleagues, I, and her peers have often marveled at. In spite of being involved in several extracurricular activities in school, her grades remained unaffected. I understand that Dayana has applied for the undergraduate program in Journalism at your esteemed school. I would definitely recommend her, as she is a gem of a student who is bound to make a difference wherever she goes. She has immense potential not only to make a difference to, and improve her own capacity by constantly challenging it, but to implement remarkable positive changes in her surroundings too. She has done us all at Crane High School very proud. Should you require any further details regarding Dayana Miller, you may contact me at 0000-0000. My e-mail ID is [email protected]. Sincerely, Signature Abigail Jones |
As you can see, a college recommendation letter, when written by someone who knows you well reflects genuineness and is believable. If possible, attaching samples of work done through extracurricular activities will definitely help in the admission process. In the case above, cuttings of the articles written by Dayana Miller attached would ease her admission to the school. Hopefully, after looking at this sample, you will now be able to easily draft one for someone you are willing to recommend for college.
