Is a letter of recommendation more impressive coming from an alumni or a previous teacher?Answered
Hi! I'm currently a junior (A/B+ student taking honors, AP and college courses) and trying to plan for college apps as much as possible. My top 3 schools are (in no specific order) Villanova, Clemson, and Xavier. Seeing as I am applying out of state for 3 large schools, I want to make sure my application stands out. For these 3 schools, I have very close family friends whom of which attended these schools. However, I also have a couple teachers in mind that could write letters of rec, and maybe even a coach or two. Which is a better option? Thanks!
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2 answers
Hi @julesbuckley!
Usually a good rule for recommendations is whoever's interactions with you are more relevant to the application, which will almost always be a teacher. Having a family friend write your recommendation will be a lot less impressive than a teacher who works with many students and can attest to your work in the classroom. I would in fact highly advise against getting a letter from family friend/alum: at best it's a missed opportunity, and at worst it will probably backfire.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
I can find no examples where I would opt-in to have alumni write your recommendation over having your teachers write one for you.
Teacher recommendations have more weight because -
1. Unlike alumni, there is no inherent bias toward supporting the candidate. This can easily be seen by application readers and pushing the envelope for attempting to cut the line which might backfire depending on who reads the letter. The only exception to the rule in my book is if you personally know the department chair for the major you are applying because you did some internship there and that person can vouch for the quality of your work, your character, and your other attributes.
2. Teachers unlike alumni have had many day-to-day interactions with you in the classroom. They know how you think, the quality of your work, how well you are prepared for the lesson, your character, your kindness and generosity toward others, and your flexibility and openness to being challenged by others.
Colleges are not nightclubs where you have to get through the bouncers to gain access to the club and then another set of gatekeepers to get into the VIP lounge. Neither are they country clubs where a personal letter of recommendation from 5 or 6 members is your golden ticket. Your admission or rejection will be determined both by individuals that read your file and by the committee if you make it that far. I would strongly advise not to play the friends of the family card.
Now if you are applying to Dartmouth, that's a different thing because they have a 4th recommendation which is a peer recommendation that can come from a current Dartmouth student or an HS peer.
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