International students face many challenges when applying to universities in the United States. One of the most difficult aspects of completing your application package as an international student is the recommendation letters.
Recommendation Letters are powerful influences for most admissions departments at universities so, it’s important that they are submitted correctly.
That’s why we give you a few tips to get the best recommendation letters!
Quality>Quantity
Normally, the application package for the degree and/or program at your desired school will tell you how many letters of recommendation they require.
If this is not your case, two strong letters are better than five not-so-good ones. Each letter should provide a unique perspective for you, so the worst choice is to send multiple letters of recommendation that are all similar in content. If you’re going to send more than two, make sure you have a good reason to do so.
Choose people who really know you better
Ask for letters from people who see you frequently. They will be able to include meaningful anecdotes that speak to your character and potential. Forget about recommenders with fancy titles who don’t really know you.
Use examples from others recommendation letters
Look for some examples online for your recommender to use as a guide when writing your letter.
Also, highlight what you think are the strengths of the examples and explain to your recommender why you would like for your letter to have the same qualities.
Prevent misspelling (just in case)
Make sure your letters don’t have grammatical, punctuation or spelling errors. Your recommender will allow you to see the letter and make proofreading changes.
Use Grammarly tools to proofread all of them, ask someone else to take a second look at the letter before you submit it.
As for the writer
The recommenders should explain how they know you, provide specific examples of ways in which you have demonstrated various skills and qualities, share contact information, and explain how many courses you took with them, and/or if you worked with them in any other capacity.
Do you need more advice about your recommendation letters? Contact us now!