507: What Colleges Want (Part 7A): Recommendation Letter Crash Course for Students and Families

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

This week, Tom Campbell (CEG’s Community Manager) is joined by Ayesha King (Director of College Counseling at the International School of Los Angeles) to talk about letters of recommendation. They get into:

• What goes into a letter of recommendation?
• How are they evaluated by colleges?
• Who should students consider asking, and how do they ask?
• What can students and families do to ensure that their letters are the best they can be?
• What are FERPA rights and why should you waive them?

Ayesha King (she/her) has over twelve years of experience in admissions at the secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels, developing her values of social justice, equity and access. She is currently the Director of College Counseling at the International School of Los Angeles (LILA), a French International school, where she is stretching her skills working with students considering post-secondary options all over the world. She holds her Bachelors degree from the University of Redlands and her Masters degree from California Lutheran University. Ayesha loves spending time with her two boys and two dogs, visiting Disneyland, and talking about pop culture.

This is the next episode in our series on What Colleges Want. Stay tuned for our upcoming episode about writing letters of recommendation for teachers and counselors. Tom will be joined by Hanah Lim (CEG’s Director of Workshops and a former high school English teacher), where they provide their tips, tricks, and hacks to help you write more efficient and effective letters for your students.

Play-by-Play

• 2:49 - How important are letters of recommendation to admissions officers?
• 5:55 - Why might it be called a “Letter of Advocacy” instead?
• 7:19 - When would a letter of recommendation make a big impact on a student’s application?
• 13:38 - Should students also share this important context if it’s already in their recommendation letter?
• 15:35 - How can students determine how many letters to request?
• 19:49 - What is being said in these letters?
• 26:38 - Which teachers are typically the best to ask for a recommendation letter?
• 29:51 - Why should students consider asking a teacher from a class they struggled in?
• 30:47 - What can students do to help their teachers & counselors write the best letter possible?
• 36:06 - What information should students share with their recommenders?
• 39:20 - How should students ask for a letter once they have determined who to ask?
• 44:41 - Do students ever see their letters of recommendation?
• 48:24 - Closing advice for parents & students

Resources

• How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation for College: Step-by-Step Guide for Students
• CollegeTransitions Blog Post - College Recommendation Requirements
• Podcast Ep. 505 - What Colleges Want (Part 5): A Crash Course in the Supplemental Essays + Application with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)
• How to Write a Successful Common App Activities List
• How to Use the Common App Additional Information Section: Guide + Examples
• 100 Brave + Interesting Questions
• Pedro Pascal Cries From His Head While Eating Spicy Wings