Writing Character-Conscious Letters of Recommendation: Tips for High School Counselors and Teachers
These tips are designed to help recommendation writers—especially school counselors and teachers—focus on writing “character-conscious” letters of recommendation.
This resource offers tips and recommendations for teachers and counselors to write letters of recommendation focused on student character and life experiences. It offers a customizable letter of recommendation template which suggests a variety of information points that are important to colleges; applicant character and personal experiences and traits are prominently featured.
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This resource is part of our Character Assessment in College Admission Guide. The full guide includes:
Definitions of Key Character/Non-Cognitive Terms and Skills for Use in Admission
The Thrivers Study: A Tool for Understanding the Characteristics of Successful Students
“Why Character Matters in College Admission” Presentation Template
Character Assessment Readiness: An Audit Tool for College Admission Offices
Sharing Institutional Values: Examples from College Admission Websites
Examples of Character-Focused Essay Questions in College Admission
Examples of Language that Articulate the Importance of Family Responsibilities in College Admission
Exploring Character Through Recommendation Forms: New Ideas for College Admission Leaders
Ideas Worth Testing: Innovation in Character Assessment In College Admission
We welcome feedback as you engage with this resource and in this meaningful work. If you develop additional tools or wisdom to share, we hope you will tell us, so that we can share widely and better guide others. Please email collegeadmissions@makingcaringcommon.org to connect with our team.
