Letters of Recommendations
Some scholarships
require letters of recommendation. Do you know who you will ask and how
you will ask? You will have to pick your recommenders very carefully as
they may hold the key as to whether or not you will be awarded with a
scholarship.
Does it Really Matter Who I Ask?
Yes! Your letter of recommendation “speaks” about you in a way
that leaves a lasting impression with committee
members judging you for a scholarship. You should ask people to write a
letter of recommendation who:
· Know
you well (at least
one year if possible)
· Are
able to write well
· Have
the time and willingness
Who Should I
Ask?
Ideal people to write a letter of recommendation may include
teachers, counselors, school staff who know you well, coaches, church
members, employers and leaders in the community. People who should never
write a letter of recommendation for you include any member of your
family or one of your peers. This is a red flag to someone that you were
not able to get a letter from someone who will be objective.
With this said, you will want to choose someone who is appropriate. For
example, let’s suppose you are applying for a scholarship from a health
organization. One of your letters of recommendation is going to be
coming from your employer at a local health clinic. Great! Now who
should write your second one? If you select your track coach, you may
decrease your chances of winning that scholarship. This does not mean
that your track coach cannot write a wonderful letter. Rather, you would
like your recommendations to come from sources related to the intent of
the scholarship. Selecting a teacher that taught a science course, for
example, might be a better choice.
What Should be in the Letter of Recommendation?
Generally, each person writing your letter of recommendation has
probably written one in the past so they will likely be familiar with
the format. However, sometimes sponsors indicate what exactly they are
looking for. You want to be careful not to tell your recommenders what
to write, but to give them some guidelines. For example, let’s suppose
that you held a leadership in a club on campus. A recommender could go
into greater detail how you exhibited leadership in that position. The
letter of recommendation should provide information
that expands on what you have provided in the application, as well as
displays a relationship with you (such as teacher, counselor, etc.).
Guidelines
· If
the scholarship requests a specific number of letters of recommendation,
do not send more. The idea that if two is good, four is better sounds
acceptable in theory. However, there are a couple of things to consider.
First, the sponsor requested a specific amount, probably because they
would like to limit the time they are reading letters.
Second, anything beyond two or three letters of recommendation start to
sound redundant with the same information being recycled in each letter.
· When
you ask people to write a letter of recommendation for you, sit down
with them
and discuss the scholarship.
· It
is common courtesy to give each person writing a letter of
recommendation at least two weeks before the scholarship is due to
complete their part. Anything later than two weeks is not respectful of the person’s time.
Most adults have responsibilities other than writing letters of
recommendation; this is a favor to you! Remember that weekends and
school holidays should not be included within the two week timeframe.
· Provide
the people who will be writing your letter of recommendation with copies
of your resume/brag sheet, scholarship requirements
and an addressed stamped envelope for them to send the recommendation.
· You
may want to consider reminding writers about a week before the letters
are due.
·
You
should not be given a copy of the letter. If the person who writes your
letter gives you a copy, please do not look at it. This may
compromise your
scholarship if the sponsor learns you received a copy.
· As
a courtesy, send each writer a thank you note. This expresses your
gratitude for the time the recommender took to help you with the
scholarship. In addition, if you ask for future letters of
recommendation from
the same person, they will remember you. Leaving a good impression is
always very desirable.
© Kathy Bloomfield,
Westview High School
If you have any questions, please contact
kbloomfield@powayusd.com |
