Wow Factor for Letter of Recommendation?

Jennifer N

What key factors makes one letter of recommendation better than another? What would be the wow factor from an admissions standpoint for the letters of recommendation?

Sprinkles

For starters, it would be a letter that has nothing negative to say about you lol. It sounds obvious but there are some letters that are downright brutally honest and end up not working in the person's favor...yikes. Other than that, I would say a letter that is able to brag about your academic achievement in the classroom as well as outside the class (always handing in assignments on time, attending office hours etc.) is what can really be considered a "wow factor" for adcomms.

Jennifer N

If we all have three letters of recommendation... and they are all glowing... what would set one apart from the other?

Sprinkles

@"Jennifer N" said:
what would set one apart from the other?

The one that is able to speak more in depth about you as a person.

Micaela_OVO

Letters from professors who know you well and can uniquely speak about your capabilities in the classroom are much better than the letters that say "John was great. He received an A in my class."

If a professor can also speak about your character, there's an extra wow factor. For example, I not only did research for one of my recommenders but also volunteered at his events and was even asked to babysit a couple times. You want your recommenders to have specific examples and personal stories that can attest to your capabilities.

Hope that helps!

Jennifer N

Yes it does. Thank you!