Letters of Recommendation for Scholarship Applicants
A lot of scholarship applications require that you include a letter of recommendation from a well-respected individual. This letter acts as a means of providing the judges with a perspective of you that they have not seen. For instance, a teacher would be able to describe your in-class abilities, a coach would be able to talk about your dedication to the team and a boss could discuss your promptness and willingness to learn. You see, a letter of recommendation allows the committee to weigh your application against all of the others. It is this comparison that will ultimately allow them to choose a winner.
Some ways you can ensure your letter or letters of recommendation are really fantastic and portray you in the most positive light include:
Provide Information
You should never just say, “I need a letter of recommendation” and walk away. Rather, try to help out your letter writer as much as possible. Provide him with a copy of the scholarship forms and a summary of what the award is for, perhaps. Also, be sure to include pre-stamped and addressed envelope in which he can send the letter once it is completed.
Set a Clear Deadline
I know it can be difficult to set a deadline for your teacher or another authority figure, but it is absolutely necessary. Make sure you give letter writers a good month to craft your letter. Also, follow up around two weeks before the application is due to see if it has been submitted yet. You don’t have to be too pushy; a friendly reminder is all it usually takes.
Choose Those You Respect
You should always choose people whose opinion you personally respect highly. Whether it is a teacher or your boss, you should always ask those that not only look upon you favorably but also are knowledgeable in their own fields.
Also try to select people that can, in fact, write positively about you. You wouldn’t want to ask a teacher that you personally dislike to write a glowing letter about you, for instance. Neither would you want to ask a boss that is openly rude to you. The point is, you should be careful about who you select because it will be their opinion of you that the scholarship judges will see. While your application is very important, if a letter of recommendation speaks contrary to everything you have written about yourself, the judges may become suspicious of your honesty.
Choose Those Who Write Well
This may be difficult to ascertain, but you should always try to select people that you know can write well. All of your teachers should be able to write well but this is not always the case. If you can, try to hedge your bets where you know writing skills are necessary, such as an English teacher. Unless you are applying for a math scholarship or have a great bond with your math teacher, he or she may not be the first person you should ask.
Choose Relevant People
If you are applying to an athletic scholarship, you should probably have your coach or someone similar write your letter of recommendation for you. It is always best to select letter writers that not only know you well, but are also relevant to the scholarship you are applying for. A relevant recommender will be much more impressive than an irrelevant one.
Be Gracious
When it comes to the scholarship application process, you may very well find yourself applying to a whole bunch. That’s why you should always stay on your letter writers’ good side. You may need them to write a letter for you again! Once they submit their letter, be sure to thank them, in writing. This shows that you recognize they have taken time out of their lives for you and that you appreciate it.