Hey! Just trying to get a better sense of what makes a recommendation letter really stand out when applying to universities abroad. Like, are there any examples or common elements that top schools love to see? Would love to know what actually works.
Great question! I remember obsessing over this when I was applying. The best letters aren’t just about saying “X is a good student.” They tell stories. Like my recommender wrote about how I organized a last-minute school event that almost didn’t happen, and how I handled the chaos. Apparently, that small anecdote stood out more than just listing my grades.
Totally agree. Mine had this one line that my college interviewer even brought up later—it was something like “She’s the kind of student who leaves a classroom better than she found it.” Super simple, but my teacher backed it up with a specific example of how I helped struggling classmates. That combo of personality + concrete action seems to hit different.
Great replies by others, and I totally agree. LORs are the only part of your application where someone other than you talks about you. When traits like leadership, hard work, or intellectual curiosity are supported by anecdotes, it always leads to a great LOR.
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