One thing all college applications have in common is the letter of recommendation, and applying to UVA is no exception. Letters of recommendation are a great way for the admission deans to read someone else’s perspective of you! These letters generally focus on who you are as a student, but teachers and counselors will often include information about you as a person.
UVA only requires (and wants!) two letters of recommendation per applicant. One is from your high school guidance counselor or college advisor, and the other is from a teacher of a core subject (English, math, science, history or foreign language). But what goes into each of those letters?
Counselor’s letter
- Everything big and broad about your school
- Any context you think is important for your application
- Dean J says this letter can take many forms, from a full letter to some bullet points about the school and student. In case a counselor doesn’t know a student well, “those counselors will sometimes share what they have learned from the student’s file or from conversations with the students’ teachers. There is also a way for counselors to let us know if the constraints of their job prevent them from writing a recommendation.”
Teacher’s letter
- Describes who you are in the classroom, both as a student and as a person
- Can be from any year of high school
- Best from a core teacher
- Dean J says, “These recommendations aren’t about summarizing information we will learn from other parts of the application, so I don’t recommend giving your teacher your activity list. You could remind them about the project you did that impressed them or about the time they asked to hold onto something you did so they could use it as an example. Those little anecdotes bring the data that we get in the rest of the application to life.”
But what if there’s someone else whose voice is important to you? What if your coach, mentor, employer or some else offers to write you a letter? Or you feel as though your application would be incomplete without another person’s perspective? You can always have that individual or individuals write some stories or points about you on an index card or in an email and give that to one of the two main letter writers.
No matter who writes your letter, it should be someone who knows and (of course!) likes you. While not everyone you’re required to ask will know you well, some of the best letters of recommendation come from teachers, mentors and counselors who’ve helped you and who you’ve established a rapport with. It can be intimidating to ask, but teachers and other mentors expect to be asked when college application season rolls around. And don’t worry — if it’s a teacher you know, they’d likely be happy to write your letter!