A Letter of Recommendation (LOR): Common Mistakes to Avoid

Posted date: 01 Sep 2021

A letter of recommendation (LOR) can have a big impact on whether or not your application is accepted by admissions staff. Your LOR essentially serves as proof of the statements you make in your CV, personal statement, or writings. It's also used to assess and evaluate your reputation among peers. As a candidate, you must never underestimate the significance of this paper. You'll simply harm your chances of getting into your preferred study destination if you do so. Here's a rundown of some of the most typical blunders applicants make when getting their LOR written:

Only Highlighting Positive Aspects of Your Personality

Nobody is perfect, and no one has everything!

As a result, there's no harm in a recommender mentioning the areas of your life where you can improve. You risk raising admissions council's doubts by having only positive things published about yourself. Remember that admissions officials are well-trained in recognizing that everything is a lie, and as a result, they create a poor impression. As a result, the wise thing to do is to optimize your candidacy by striking a balance between your strengths and weaknesses.

A Recommender's Decision

One of the most common mistakes applicants make is selecting the wrong recommender. One of the most important aspects of getting a persuasive LOR written is selecting the correct recommender. Your recommender must be someone who is well-versed in you and has known you for a long time. He or she should be able to write an impressive LOR by properly assessing your strengths and flaws.

It's best to pick someone who has taught you and hence has seen you in a variety of circumstances. Only such a person is capable of accurately profiling you. In addition, your recommender should be aware of the fundamentals of drafting a LOR and must keep a positive attitude throughout the process.

Getting a Head Start on Your Recommender

Do you truly believe you can contact a recommender at the eleventh hour and urge him to write an impressive LOR? No!

There are a few points to remember:

* When someone agrees to write a recommendation letter for you, they are doing you a favor. As a result, you must be considerate of his or her time.

* If you want your LOR to be well-written, give your recommender enough time to research and compose your candidacy.

* You should contact a recommender well ahead of time so that he or she can complete the LOR before the application deadline. Make it a point to notify your recommender on a regular basis.

Failure to Provide Appropriate Examples

A recommendation letter that focuses solely on generic information and provides no relevant examples or examples fails miserably to make an impression on the admissions committee. When a recommender fails to provide any evidence to back up his claims, it means he's either following a conventional format of saying nice things about you to make your profile sound great, or he's short on time. Whatever the case may be, it will jeopardize your chances of success.

Any candidate who works hard to present the admissions committee with a genuine letter of recommendation has the best chance of receiving an acceptance letter.

Posted By

GSP Admin