IMPORTANT LINKS
 

 
 

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Each SCPA school counselor devotes a considerable amount of time and energy during the fall semester to write letters that reflect the positive personal qualities each SCPA student can bring to the college environment. Students and parents are responsible for providing background information the counselors can use as they write recommendations. 

Counselors appreciate a resume of all activities the student has been involved with, leadership positions held and awards received. In addition, students and/or parents may provide a short personal narrative to flesh out various activities or convey passions and personal traits. See gray boxes below for guidance on relevant personal qualities.  The earlier you provide this input the better, so counselors can allocate their time more easily during a busy time of year. You will want to be particularly aware of this if making an Early Action or Early Decision application. Ideally, you should provide this information, along with a list of schools to which you’ll apply, and application deadlines, at the beginning of October. College counselor recommendation forms should be routed through the SCPA Registrar given to her at the same time request for transcripts are made.
Student Responsibilities

• See Registrar to submit Counselor Recommendation Forms (give these when ordering transcripts).
• Include a #10 legal sized envelope, addressed, with first-class postage for each college (exceptions include Stanford and Columbia)
• Prepare your resume and a personal statement; these are optional, but helpful to counselors. See the appendix for a resume format and the gray box below for suggestions on writing the personal statement.
• Ask a parent or guardian to write a statement about you. Again, gray box below contains suggestions.
• Prepare a document listing schools to which you are applying, with application deadlines.
• In late September, early October, put all this information in the box on your counselor’s office door (resume, personal statement, parents’ statement, list of colleges and deadline.)
• Follow up with your counselor to make sure the documents were received.
Parents!

Your 1-2 page assessment of your child is a big help to counselors. Topics you can address:

  • Your child’s most admirable quality
  • Examples of your child’s values, enthusiasm, ability to meet challenges
  • Examples of your child’s willingness and ability to accept responsibility, demonstrate dependability and maturity
  • Examples of your child’s leadership and integrity
  • Your child’s outlook on life, whether he/she is optimistic, passionate, curious, fearless, willing, social, involved.
  • A description of one or two ways in which your child is unique
Students!

The counselors want to understand how you think, how you view yourself, what matters most to you, and what has influenced your intellectual development. Ask 3 teachers to write a brief (2 or 3 sentences) about you. Then, write a 1-2 page piece answering some or all of the following questions:

  • What are your 3 most distinguishing and admirable qualities? Give an example of each.
  • What would you like the college to know about you that may not appear on the application?
  • What type of student are you? What academic settings or assignments make you thrive? What interests you most?
  • What are your aspirations, goals, dreams?
  • Please describe any jobs you’ve held or community service experiences you’ve had.
  • Tell us about your family and friends. Have you faced any significant hardships?
  • What one or two things have had the biggest impact on your life?
  • Have you overcome any obstacles? Please explain to your counselor.
Teacher Recommendations

Most private colleges request at least one letter of recommendation from a teacher as part of the application. Some schools want reports from teachers of college prep courses, including English, lab science, advanced math or foreign language; others will be less specific. In doing so, colleges are looking for personal insights about the applicant, not a reiteration of grades or test scores. Not surprisingly, teachers who know you well will write the most effective letters.

Please remember teachers are not required to write letters of recommendation for their students! They are usually glad to do so, but may have to limit their commitments due to time constraints.

Suggestions:

  • Be respectful of everyone’s time -- ask teacher, coach or other character reference for recommendations early, in September or October. You will want to be on the early side if submitting an Early Action or Early Decision application.
  • Request references in person if at all possible.
  • Be prepared, be polite, give plenty of lead time.
  • Provide all forms with envelopes (addressed with first-class postage). Also, include copies of documents you prepared for counselors, including resume, personal statement, list of the schools you’ll be applying to and school deadlines.
  • Remember to write your teacher thank you note. At the end of the year, let each of them know where you have decided to go.