HONORS SCHOLAR PROGRAM Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. ~Yeats Presented by Barbara Clinton, HCC Honors Program

Introduction to… LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION What are they and why should you care? What should go in them? What makes one effective?

What is it …? Admissions officers and employers view Letters of Recommendation as personal insights from “someone who knows” the character and personality of an applicant…They can leave an impression beyond the transcripts and experiences of a student, an impression that we help create—whether we mean to or not.

…and why should you care? Impression Management can make the difference between the student being seen as unique and desirable or being seen as ordinary or unacceptable. Many colleges are relying on personal statements and teacher recommendations more heavily in their admissions decisions than on transcripts.

What should you put in …? THE STUDENT: relevant information that you know about the uniqueness of-- –Student’s academic history? –Student’s academic and career goals? –Any hardships or challenges faced? –Student’s experience with different cultures? –Why student wants to go to that institution or to have that job? –Why the institution/job should want the student?

…what should you put in it? YOURSELF: –How does your area of expertise qualify you to write this recommendation (position, degree, etc.)? –What is your base of comparison between this student and others (how many years have you taught/advised/etc—with how many students? ) OVERLAP: –How long have you known the student? How often have you interacted? –In what capacity? To begin, make notes on specific facts that answer each of those questions.

What makes one…? Pictures: You don’t like to be told what to think; neither do admissions readers. Remember the old saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words?” “Paint a picture” of the student that gets the readers to draw the conclusion you want. Show, don’t tell. You want the readers to think the student is responsible and hardworking? Show the student acting that way. (example)

…what makes one effective? Facts: Remember the contents…don’t just say the student has academic and career goals; name them specifically. Don’t just say (s)he’s a good student; give the evidence. Use Themes: focus on 3-5 roles the student plays and specific examples that PICTURE the student in those roles.

HCC HONORS— a Program to be proud of Student Participation and Achievement: After piloting our new program in spring of 2003 with 15 students, we began in fall of 2003 with about 30 active participants. Spring term of 2004 ended with about in the program, with graduates that year amassing over $150,000 in scholarships, grants, and aid as they continued on to four-year schools. Fall term of 2004 we began with about 140 active Honors program participants and ended spring term with 168. About one-third of those program participants graduated in June of ’05, taking with them Total Financial Aid of $427,238. (numbers for are even better)