IvyWise KnowledgeBase
Recommendation Letters

While graduate admissions committees read A LOT of recommendation letters that often sound very much alike, some recommendation letters truly stand out and enhance an applicant’s profile. It’s important to ensure that your recommendation letters add value and depth to your graduate school application. 

Letters of recommendation, especially those submitted by your junior year teachers, are a key component of your college applications. However, a good recommendation letter doesn’t just come from any teacher. It’s crucial to build good relationships with your teachers so they get to know you well enough to write in detail about how you will be an asset to a specific college or program.

Many colleges require letters of recommendation from teachers as part of the college application. Colleges recognize that your teachers spend significant time with you and, therefore, trust them to provide a candid picture of who you are as a scholar and a person.

Grades and test scores are important factors when evaluating college applications, but they don’t tell the whole story. When admissions officers evaluate applicants, they review both “hard factors” (quantitative measures like GPA) as well as “soft factors,” such as essays, extracurricular activities, demonstrated interest, and recommendation letters.