CHAPTER 9: LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

HOW MUCH DO LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION MATTER?

Tremendously. Why? Because a bad recommendation letter can destroy your chances of gaining admission, particularly to a top school. And when we say a “bad recommendation letter,” we don’t just mean a negative one (though admissions committees do sometimes receive these). We mean a poorly written, dry, or generic letter; a letter that points to a deal-breaking flaw; or a letter that shows no enthusiasm for, or even familiarity with, the applicant. Admissions committees are experts at deciphering recommendation letters– they have read thousands of them. They can tell when the recommender feels passionate about the candidate, and they can also tell when the recommender does not really care. Even if your recommender says positive things, if they do so without clear conviction, admissions officials will read between the lines.

Recommendation letters give the admissions committee their only outside perspective on you. Admissions officers are looking to see whether you can handle a rigorous academic program and whether you will make the school proud as an alumnus. They want to know about both your analytical abilities and (if it’s a professional recommendation) your leadership and teamwork skills. Most importantly, they want to get a sense for your personality and character from someone who knows you well and can attest to your performance either at work or in the classroom.

Letters also serve to corroborate (or discredit) what you have written in your application. Do your recommenders echo what you have written or do they present a different picture of you? Recommendation letters should validate your accomplishments, impact, and passions. But if you've exaggerated these things, the letters can also bring that to light.

Lastly, the admissions committees use the recommendations to gauge your judgment and ability. First, your choice of recommenders reflects on your judgment. Do not choose someone to write for you who either does not know you well or does not care about your future. The strength of your recommendation letters will also reflect on your ability to cultivate substantive professional relationships with supervisors, teachers, and other mentors, and to “manage up”– that is, to get these important, busy people to write a glowing recommendation letter on your behalf on a deadline. If you cannot find good recommenders, it may indicate to admissions committees that you did not stand out professionally or academically.

This all leads us to the most important point about recommendation letters: you cannot be passive about this part of your application. You have to take an active management role in getting recommendation letters that will complement and support the rest of your application. This is particularly true with military supervisors, who most likely will have little, if any, experience with this kind of letter. You will need to coach your recommenders through the process and tell them what you are hoping the letter with accomplish, but don’t ever tell a recommender what to write– it’s bad form and won't serve you well. Similarly, if a recommender tells you to write your own letter, keep looking; such letters are rarely as strong as “real” recommendations and it’s hard to write convincingly in someone else’s voice.

WHOM TO ASK FOR RECOMMENDATION LETTERS

Your first step is figuring out whom you want to write your letters. Sometimes, schools will give you guidance on the type of recommender they want to hear from, which is usually an academic professor. To the best of your ability, try to follow the guidance given by the school when they make clear what they want. But do not settle for a poor recommendation letter just to follow their guidance. It is better to have an amazing recommendation letter from an alternative source than a poor one from the preferred source (and most schools acknowledge this in the application). In that case, attach a short addendum to your application explaining why you had to ask someone else.

So, what should you look for in a recommender? We suggest you focus on the following four qualities: strength of relationship, estimation of your worth, writing ability, and reliability.

Strength of Relationship. Your recommender should know you very well. Ideally, he or she will have been a direct supervisor at work or evaluated you directly in the classroom. Just as importantly, the recommender should care about you deeply enough to have a stake in your future and want you to succeed in your career.

Estimation of your Worth. You should pick someone who you know holds you in high esteem. Ideally, your recommender will start off his letter by saying, “Applicant X is one of the best officers/leaders/students I have come across in my twenty years at ABC.” The person should consider you to be among the best in your peer group and should be willing to say so in the letter.

Writing Ability. A well-written letter is simply more persuasive and compelling than a poorly-written one. So all else being equal, you want to choose someone who you know is at least a decent writer. An admissions officer will not hold your recommender’s poor writing against you, but it won't help your cause, either. If the recommender bumbles through the letter with poor grammar, dry writing, and obvious errors, it distracts the reader, even if the substance is great. It's not enough that they think the world of world of you– they also need to be able to convey that effectively.

Reliability. Lastly, you want to consider the person’s reliability. Will they meet the deadlines? Will they follow the guidance you provide them? Are they amenable to your suggestions on how the letter should look and sound? The last one is especially important for military recommenders, since the letter of recommendation format may be different from anything they have written before. They are NOT writing a work evaluation. They are expressing an opinion, based on examples and anecdotes, about how you’re going to fare as a student and a professional in the future, whatever your specific goals happen to be. They need to be relied upon to run with the guidance you give them.

Do not choose someone simply because they have a high position or an important sounding title. It is better to get an amazing recommendation from a Captain than a dull one from a four-star General. High-profile recommenders (e.g. your buddy’s famous uncle in the Senate) don’t do you any good unless you actually worked for them and they can say something substantive about your capabilities and potential. Also, stay away from family members and friends, unless the school specifically asks for a peer recommendation.

EDUCATING YOUR RECOMMENDERS

When you ask people to write a letter of recommendation, you will have to educate them on what the content should be and how to present it. This is especially true for recommenders from a military background. A letter of recommendation is very different from personnel evaluations and fitness reports, and the recommender will have to break out of the generic, dispassionate writing voice used for official correspondence.

When you do ask the person, we recommend that you give them a guidance packet containing your resume, past performance evaluations, a paragraph about your career goals, a paragraph about why you are applying to law school now, and any suggestions on topics or anecdotes that you would like them to touch on in the letter. You should frame them as suggestions only– it is NOT your place to tell a recommender what to write. Your goal is two-fold– you want to make the process as easy as possible for them, and you want to make sure they write the best possible letter that fits your narrative.

If a recommender wants to show you a draft and get your input, that’s fine. If a recommender shows you a copy of the letter after submitting it, that’s also permissible, even if you have officially waived your right to see the letter. Always check the box on the application that waives your right to see the letter. The waiver only encompasses your right to demand to see a copy of the letter in the files of the law school where you eventually enroll. A recommender is free to show you drafts or final copies, but you should NEVER demand to see them. If you are concerned about what a recommender might say about you, you should rethink having them write the letter in the first place.

If your recommender would appreciate some feedback from someone other than you for a gut check, your S2S ambassador can take a look at it and provide feedback to your recommender on a confidential basis.

WHAT THE LETTERS SHOULD SAY

The number #1 rule for letters of recommendation is that “content is king.” The admissions committees are looking for concrete examples that back up the opinion they formed of you from the rest of the application. For instance, if the letter says that you are an incredible leader in combat situations, it should include an illustrative anecdote or two. If you are passionate about mentoring and educating your subordinates, then ask a recommender to highlight instances when you went above and beyond to do this. The more specific the stories and examples, the better the letter will be. In your personal essay(s) and resume, you might think it too showy and awkward to mention, for example, that you saved four people in battle. Often, admissions officers learn those kinds of details about applicants from the recommenders only. That is a perfectly appropriate role for them in this process.

Additionally, if you have asked the recommender to write a targeted letter for a specific school, they should be sure to highlight the reason for the targeted letter (i.e. their connection to the school or why that school is your first choice and the best fit).

Just as you shouldn’t use military jargon and overly technical language in your resume, your recommender should avoid these in their letter as well. Ask them to consider the audience when writing the letter and explain any military terms, acronyms, titles, etc. as clearly as possible.

Finally, it is important that your letters showcase genuine enthusiasm. A lukewarm letter will HURT your chances of getting into your dream school.

WHAT THE LETTERS SHOULD LOOK LIKE

The letter should be written with professional letterhead– a military or university letterhead is fine. If the person is retired, there is no need for letterhead. The letter should start with an opener like “Dear Sir or Madam.” Do not use a military correspondence format, such as Naval Letter Format. The admissions committees will not appreciate the From, To and Subject lines, and they come off as too impersonal. The letter should be written in size 11 or 12 and Times New Roman font. The letter should end with a signature block and a signature.

In terms of length, the letter should be between 1-2 pages single-spaced. That being said, a short recommendation can be effective depending on what it says (“this is the best student I’ve ever taught at [school X] in twenty years of teaching”). Substance matters a lot more than length.

The letter should open with an explanation of how the recommender knows you (type and length of relationship). This is meant to establish their credibility and give the admissions committees a sense that this person is in a position to give a meaningful opinion about you. For that reason, there should also be some discussion of how closely the recommender has worked with you (either as your teacher or your supervisor), because seeing your work and your performance firsthand matters.

Ideally, your recommender should refer to you by your first name, but it’s fine if they use your rank/title and last name if it fits better. Just make sure they do not refer to you as “the applicant” or “candidate,” and especially not some military expression like “Said Named Officer.”

If you would like to see samples of military letters of recommendation, ask your S2S ambassador for anonymized samples.