Hey, guys! I'm feeling really stressed with this whole recommendation letter thing. I heard I should provide some kind of 'direction' or examples to my teachers, but I have no clue what a good LOR looks like or should have in it. Anyone have some good LOR examples to guide me? It'd be a real help, thanks in advance.
Absolutely, I can certainly help with that!
To start, it might be helpful to know that the best Letters of Recommendation (LORs) typically touch upon the following things: your academic abilities, character traits, and your contributions within the classroom or to the school community.
Academic Abilities: Your teachers should elaborate on your intellectual curiosity, dedication to your studies, and your ability to persevere through difficult concepts. They should explain your ability to work collaboratively in group projects and your engagement during class discussions.
Character Traits: Your LORs should touch on your personal qualities, such as your resilience, maturity, or leadership abilities. Teachers often touch on anecdotes or specific examples to show these traits.
Contributions: Your teachers should explain how you contribute to the classroom and/or school community. This could include your role in class discussions or any extracurricular activities you're involved in.
A note of caution: The LOR examples you find online should be used only as a guide for structure and style but should not be copied verbatim. The content of your LOR should be authentic and original, and reflect real experiences and interactions to maintain integrity in the application process.
You can give your teachers a 'brag sheet' detailing your accomplishments, character traits you'd like them to emphasize, or important projects you've worked on under their instruction to help guide them. It’s important to remember that while these prep sheets can be useful, it's ultimately up to the teacher to capture how they experienced you as a student.
Remember: it's always best practice to choose teachers who know you well and have taught you recently in an academic subject, as they can speak more competently on your current abilities and character. Hope this helps!
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