名校申请竞争越来越激烈，单从GPA、托福、SAT几个硬件指标已经很难拉开差距，课外活动和文书又存在过度包装的情况，招生官也迫切需要更多视角对申请者的评价来筛选学生，因此，推荐信在录取中的作用也就越来越重了。但是什么样的推荐信才是有效的呢？近日，MIT招生官给大家分享了一篇推荐信写作指南，分享给大家，希望能帮到正在准备申请的同学。
由于我们面临高度竞争的申请者群体，推荐信在我们的录取决策中占有重要的权重。一封针对杰出申请者的精心撰写的推荐信可以展示出超出其自我推介的令人印象深刻的特质。
麻省理工学院推荐信写作指南
学校升学顾问和教师的推荐信在具体且有故事性的情况下最为有效。这些评价应提供招生官从申请的其他部分无法获得的信息和印象。请尽量全面地勾勒出学生及其成就的背景。尽可能用事实和轶事支持您的结论。
请尝试在评价中回答以下问题：
1. 您与申请者的关系背景是什么？如果您对申请者了解不深，只能写简要总结，请说明这一点。
2. 申请人是否表现出课堂学习外的求知探索欲？
3. 申请者是否具有任何特别的能力、才能或领导才能？
4. 申请人对什么事物特别有热情？
5. 申请者与教师和同龄人之间的互动如何？描述他们的个性和社交能力。
6. 您对这个人最深刻的印象是什么？
7. 如果您了解MIT，您为什么认为MIT与这个人非常契合？他们如何融入MIT社区并从MIT的经历中成长？
8. 申请者是否曾经历过失望或失败？如果有，他们是如何反应的？
9. 是否有任何我们需要了解的特殊家庭或社区情况？
请特别注意推荐信的开头和结尾。请记住，我们会阅读超过30,000份申请，我们非常重视那些能让我们在评估每位候选人时记住的强有力的陈述。在此基础上，请用让您感到舒适的方式书写，不要害怕提供你诚实的印象。
我们只在寻找有力的赞美，但前提是这些评价有实例支撑，并给出背景，阐明学生成就背后的原因。最重要的是，确保超越学生的成绩和学业表现。我们可以从申请的其他部分获取这些信息。
在MIT的招生过程中，推荐信是保密的。
推荐信示例及点评
David的教师推荐信：
我非常高兴能够推荐David申请麻省理工学院。他是我20年教学生涯中遇到的最非凡的学生之一。去年我教授David的AP微积分，他作为10年级学生，在一群大多数为12年级的优秀学生中名列前茅。他对数学有很高的天赋，并且在学习中投入了很多精力，努力工作，常常超越常规的课堂作业。
然而，David持久的兴趣是计算机科学。他开发了一系列“练习题”，用于提供计算机化的基本技能和技术的复习，最近又将这些应用到其他科目。David在这一领域的工作原创且重要，以至于他发表了一篇论文，并在全国其他地方向专业人士进行了多次讲座。这对任何人来说都是一个了不起的成就，尤其是对一个来自阿肯色州乡村的年轻人而言。同样值得注意的是，去年和今年，David还在我一个10年级的班级中教授计算机编程，为期两周。他完全接管了课程，认真准备讲座、作业和测试。他的讲座条理清晰、组织良好，显然他付出了巨大的努力，使得这门课程取得了成功。
David的个人品质与他的智力成就同样令人印象深刻。他非常友善、敏感和理智，过去几年来他经历了一段困难的家庭状况。他在母亲与癌症斗争期间为她提供情感支持，但并未因此影响自己的稳定和成就。他已在这个小社区中耗尽了我们能为他提供的一切，他所展现出的成熟让我相信他能够提前一年进入大学，正如他现在所计划的那样。我真诚地希望你们能为他提供麻省理工学院新生班的名额。
原文：It is a great pleasure for me to recommend David for admission to MIT. He is one of the most extraordinary students I have encountered in 20 years of teaching. I taught David A.P. Calculus last year as a tenth grader, and he was one of the very top students in an extremely able group of mostly seniors. He has a high aptitude for math and was very much involved in his work, applying himself with persistence and dedication and often going beyond the regular class assignments.
David’s abiding interest, however, is computer science. He has developed a series of “strands” for use in providing computerized drill and review in the basic skills and techniques of algebra and arithmetic and has recently adapted these to other subjects. David’s work in this area has been so original and significant that he has published a paper on it and delivered several lectures to professionals in other parts of the country. This is a phenomenal accomplishment for anyone, especially a young man in rural Arkansas. It is also worth noting that both last year and this year David taught computer programming to a tenth-grade class of mine for two weeks. He took over completely, preparing lectures, assignments, and tests with great care and thought. His lectures were clear and well organized, and it was obvious that he had expended a great deal of effort to make the course the success that it was.
David’s personal qualities are as impressive as his intellectual accomplishments. An extremely kind, sensitive and sensible boy, he has had a difficult family situation for a few years now. He provides emotional support to his mother through her battle with cancer without allowing the situation to undermine his own stability and accomplishments. He has exhausted all that we have to offer him in this small community, and the maturity that he has demonstrated leads me to believe him capable of entering college a year early, as he now plans to do. I sincerely hope that you will be able to offer him a place in MIT’s freshman class.
评析：优秀！这封推荐信充满了来自明确了解这位学生的人的评论。我们不仅能清楚地感受到大卫的智力能力，还能感受到他的情感成熟。他对计算机编程的真正热爱在这位老师的描述中显而易见。我们也意识到他在社区中推动学术边界，为自己创造机会，这一点对寻求提前一年入学的候选人尤为重要。
Jen的教师推荐信：
Jen是我一门以12年级学生为主的物理课的学生。她在高中的11年级学了物理，并且是一位优秀的学生。通过努力学习，她对课程内容有了良好的理解。
Jen也具备值得称赞的个人品质。在我认识她的两年中，我从未发现她不诚实或不可信。在一次考试中，我在她的试卷上犯了个对她有利的评分错误，尽管这导致她的测试成绩降低，她仍然主动告诉了我。
总之，我认为Jen具备学术和个人素质，能够为她选择的大学增光添彩，因此我毫无保留地推荐她。
原文：Jen was a student in one of my predominately senior physics classes. She took physics her junior year in high school and was a good student. Through hard work, she was able to develop a good understanding of the subject material.
Jen also had personal qualities that are commendable. In the two years that I have known her I have never known her to be dishonest or untrustworthy. Once on an exam paper I had made a grading error in her favor. She brought this to my attention even though it resulted in a lower test grade.
In conclusion, I feel that Jen has both the academic and personal qualities to be a credit to the college of her choice, and I give her my recommendation without reservation.
点评：我们每年收到成千上万这样的推荐信。它虽然全是积极的，但并未对候选人提供实质性深度内容。在这种情况下，读者可能会感觉作者在拼凑话语。诚实和可信赖无疑是值得赞扬的品质，但在全球顶尖大学申请者中并不罕见。我们在寻找令人信服的录取理由，因此有关课程内容的信息对候选人并没有帮助。虽然Jen可能是个勤奋的学生，但我们大多数申请者也是如此。尽管评论是积极的，但很难抓住任何具体的事例来增强候选人的竞争力。这是否是故意轻描淡写？在学校里，Jen与其他（更杰出？）候选人相比比如何？
Mary的升学顾问推荐信：
Mary通过参与校报和年鉴的工作，给学校社区做出了多方面的贡献。坦率地说，我对她的进取心、创造力、决心以及在全学业负担下安排课外活动的能力深感佩服。我从未听Mary抱怨她的工作量，也从未见她拒绝分配给她的任何任务。仅仅说她愿意接受责任是不够的，她主动寻求责任。哦，真希望有更多这样的学生！
在过去两年担任校报的业务经理和年鉴的共同编辑期间，Mary做得非常出色。她个人使镇上的商业界认识到，学校的报纸并非是一个慈善机构，而是一个广告商能直接接触到学生的渠道。她还主动设定了校报的广告费率，产生了足够的收入，将报道范围从四页扩大到八页，甚至经常达到十二页。她在两份出版物中担任摄影师的工作同样出色。
她的动力不是被强迫的，也不是将其视为一种荣誉。她有着强大的自律能力。Mary是一名敬业、多才多艺且才华横溢的学生，将成为贵校本科社区的一大资产。她赢得了我的尊重和最高的推荐。
原文：Mary has contributed to the school community in a variety of ways, most notably through her participation on the newspaper and yearbook staffs. Frankly, I am impressed with her aggressiveness, creativity, determination and ability to schedule extracurricular activities around a full academic workload. I have never heard Mary complain about her workload or refuse any assignment that she has been given. It is not adequate to say that she accepts responsibility readily. She seeks responsibility. Oh, for more such students!
As business manager for the paper and co-editor of the yearbook the past two years, Mary has done an outstanding job. She personally brought the town’s business community from the view that the school newspaper was a charitable organization to the realization that the paper is a direct pipeline through which advertisers can reach students. She also took the initiative to set up the advertising rate schedule for the paper that produced enough revenue to expand coverage from a four-page paper, so that it is an eight-page and often twelve-page paper. Her work as photographer for both publications has been equally outstanding.
Her motivation is not forced upon her, nor does she wear it like a badge. She has tremendous self-discipline. Mary is also a dedicated, versatile and talented student who will be an asset to your undergraduate community. She has my respect and my highest recommendation.
点评：不错。这里的具体细节给我们留下了非常清晰的印象，并帮助我们了解这种印象的由来。我们看到了她在校报工作中的直接证据，以及她的整体品格。
Jane的升学顾问推荐信：
Jane是一位杰出的年轻女性，她的学业记录可能未能完全反映她的能力。她的父母在她11年级时离婚，此前的几年，她的家庭情况一直动荡不安，父母之间争吵不断。她的父亲有酗酒问题，Jane确实承受了巨大的情感压力。考虑到这些情况，她能够取得如此好的成就，这说明了她的坚韧。现在家庭环境已稳定，她的表现也有所改善。我相信她的12年级成绩更能真实反映她的能力。
原文：Jane is an outstanding young woman whose academic record may not fully reflect her ability. Her parents were divorced during her junior year, and, for several years before that, her home situation had been in turmoil with a great deal of fighting between her parents. Her father has an alcohol problem, and Jane certainly endured a great deal of emotional distress. The fact that she has been able to do as well as she has done given the circumstances says a lot about her. Now that the home situation has stabilized, her performance has improved. I believe her senior year grades are a much better reflection of her ability.
点评：你可能会想，上述信息是否适合在推荐信中提及。是的！我们欣赏任何能够为我们提供洞察和背景的信息，帮助我们理解学生的表现和环境。关于学生经历的问题将帮助我们理解他们取得成就的背景。了解他们应对这些问题的程度也很有帮助。
Mike的升学顾问推荐信
我对Mike并不太了解。他曾向我咨询一些常规事务，但通常没有向我讨论任何问题。在这所大学校里，我并不总有时间去逐一了解每位学生。从Mike的老师们那里获得的反馈让我觉得他是这所学校中最优秀的学生之一。
原文：I do not really know Mike very well. He has come to me for routine matters but generally has not had any problems that he has discussed with me. In this large school, I do not always have the time to personally get to know each of my advisees. From the comments I get from Mike’s teachers, I have the impression that he is one of the strongest students this school has seen.
点评：我们从这份报告中没有了解到太多信息，但我们明白了原因。这位升学顾问非常诚实，我们不必猜测为什么没有更多的信息，会将注意力转向申请的其他部分。
Brian的教师推荐信：
Brian在我班上一直名列前五。他确实很有学习动力。他的品格和个性令人钦佩。布莱恩是一名优秀的学生，勤奋努力，具有超出平均水平的推理能力。
原文：Brian was in the top five in my class consistently. He is certainly motivated to study. His character and personality are admirable. Brian is an excellent student, hard worker and has above average reasoning ability.
评析：这是一个评价的例子，在这种情况下，我们真的不知道作者想告诉我们什么。提供的评论确实没有给出太多实质性的信息。我们不禁想知道是否对这个学生没有太多可说的，或者教师是否根本不想在推荐信中投入太多努力。这种情况我们可能会根据所有推荐信的整体模式形成印象。如果所有推荐信都同样没有信息量，我们将假设没有太多可说的，但如果其他推荐信更好，我们将假设这位教师在推荐中没有付出太多努力。
从这几篇例文中可以看出，找一个对自己非常了解的老师写推荐信是多么重要，好的推荐信和差的推荐信一定程度上真的能决定录取，因此大家一定要认真对待。
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