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Guide to Letters of Recommendation

The Vanderbilt Office of Undergraduate Admissions requests letters of recommendation from school counselors and two academic teachers, so that we may better understand our applicants in the classroom and in the school community at large.

The most compelling letters of recommendation offer information that either expands upon something we have already learned from the student’s portion of the application or informs us of something entirely new. The best recommendations are not checklists of what the student has accomplished; the best recommendations expound upon these accomplishments.

Some of the topics that those writing letters of recommendation might want to cover include instances where the student:

Recommendations may also include any anecdote that epitomizes the student's abilities, character, and persona

Overall, letters of recommendation should provide us with a more detailed sense of the student in and out of the classroom.

If students wish to submit additional letters of recommendation from teachers, coaches, employers, or anyone else who can offer something new to the application, they may include those as well. We strongly advise that these extra letters offer additional information about the applicant, and we encourage a “quality–over–quantity” approach. 

If your school has created its own form for letters of recommendation, you may use it. Simply write “See Attached” on our form the applicant will hand you and submit both.