“I Can Get a Letter of Recommendation from the Dalai Lama”

Letters of Recommendation: Who should I ask?

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Letters of Recommendation

Me: What?

Student: Yeah, would that boost my college admission chances?

Me: Uh… what exactly is the nature of your relationship with the Dalai Lama? Did you serve as his personal assistant? Are you his understudy or something?

Student: I met him once at a mass prayer in Tibet because he’s a family friend. I forgot how my family knows him, but my dad said that he’s willing to write me a glowing recommendation.

Given the staggering costs of studying abroad at a private American university, it’s not uncommon for us to work with students from extraordinarily wealthy and powerful families. Thus, every so often there will be a student who can secure a letter of recommendation that few others can—we’ve even had one student’s mother procure a letter from the vice president (of Taiwan). Sure, such letters are unmistakable signs of status, but how much weight do they really hold in the eyes of admissions officers? 

To better understand and answer this question, let’s take a look at Stanford’s undergraduate admission requirements:

• Letters of recommendation from two teachers are required. We recommend requesting letters from grade 11 or 12 teachers in English, math, science, world language or history/social studies. You may request a letter from a grade 10 teacher if the coursework was advanced (e.g., Honors, AP, IB). Letters from classroom teachers are strongly preferred.
  
  
  

• If there is another person who knows you well and can provide new insights about you, you may have one additional recommender submit a letter on your behalf. Please assign this person as your “Other Recommender” in the Common Application.

Notice that Stanford (and most other universities) requires your primary recommendation letters to come from teachers. After all, who else would be qualified to confirm your intellectual abilities? Provide insight into your classroom engagement? Lend perspective to your personality traits and overall character? Think about just how many applicants exaggerate, or even outright lie, about their accomplishments and personal qualities. That’s precisely why a strong recommendation letter is needed to verify and reinforce the person you portray yourself to be in the application.

Now why does Stanford explicitly state that classroom teachers are strongly preferred? 

Think about who you’re spending the most time with when you’re in school! Your classroom teachers are the most reliable and objective judges of who you are, how you’ve grown, and what you’re capable of. The best recommendation letters are the ones that recount specific interactions with you to illustrate your character and can paint a vivid picture of not just the person you are today but also of the person you could be tomorrow.

What, then, can you do to maximize your chances of scoring a glowing recommendation from someone who actually knows you inside-out and supports you unconditionally? Here’s our five protips:

1. FIND YOUR TOP 2
   Most schools will require two letters of recommendation from two school teachers. Some may even specify that they want one recommendation from a Math/Science teacher and another from an English/History teacher. Think long and hard about which two instructors you’ve had in these fields throughout high school who have interacted the most with you, are the most genuinely supportive of you, or have simply taught you for the longest duration. Ideally, you would have aced—or at the very least performed well—in their classes and made a strong enough impression that they would be able to write about particularly memorable experiences they’ve had with you.
   
   
   

2. APPROACH EARLY
   The earlier the better! I would suggest formally asking your teachers of choice by the end of your junior year so they’ll have ample time to reflect on their relationship with you and write the most thoughtful recommendation they possibly can.
   
   
   

3. MAKE YOUR RESUME
   Have a resume containing all of your extracurricular activities, summer involvements, internships, part-time jobs, etc. written, polished, and ready to give to your teachers. You should also provide them with your school list, including application deadlines and your potential major(s). Doing so will enable them to tailor their letter to your future discipline(s) when sensible and guarantee that they’ll be able to complete your recommendations well before you actually need to submit them.
   
   
   

4. WAIVE YOUR RIGHTS
   You should absolutely waive your right to read recommendations submitted on your behalf. In fact, universities won’t even seriously consider your recommendations unless they know that you actually trusted your teachers enough to give up your right to read the letters before they were submitted.
   
   
   

5. KEEP IN TOUCH
   Don’t just ghost your teachers after requesting letters from them, especially if you’re not currently taking classes from them. Keep in close touch with your recommenders: politely check up on them every now and then, ask them if they need any assistance filling in any gaps along the way, and keep them in the loop regarding recent developments in your academic life, extracurriculars, or even the application progress itself. By making them a consistent and integral part of your college admissions journey, you can further underscore their significant impact while showing your respect and gratitude for their vital input.

So you see, it’s not a question of whether a letter of recommendation from the Dalai Lama, the vice president, Taylor Swift, or whatever famous figure would boost your admission chances.

“The real question you should be asking is whether the person who’s writing your letter has meaningful insight to provide about you and your abilities. ”

You know what happens when you submit a recommendation letter from LeBron James that you were only able to get because your aunt happens to be best friends with Jeanie Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers? The admissions officer will be thinking about how flagrantly you just flexed your privilege in a feeble attempt to name-drop your way into the school as they crumple up your letter, lean back in their office chair, and toss it into the wastebasket while shouting KOBE!

DON’T FLEX.

SHOW RESPECT.

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