Why recommendations matter

He said that there could well be "racialized patterns whereby those letters written for white students are in some way more favorable than those written for students of color.

Given that letters are widely used, and some question their fairness, is there evidence that they add in a significant way as many college admissions officials assert to admissions officials' ability to make good decisions?

Nathan R. Kuncel, professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, was co-author of a study of all existing research on letters of recommendation in college and graduate school admission, published in in The International Journal of Selection and Assessment. He said that there is only "limited" evidence that letters help identify students who can succeed, and he argued that there is a need for much more research on the validity of letters, and issues of potential bias.

Similarly, he said that there is very limited evidence that admissions essays, also highly valued by admissions officers, contribute to better decisions.

Kuncel said that patterns such as the one identified at Harvard don't provide conclusive evidence of bias. But he said such patterns should encourage colleges to study why one group is getting better recommendations. Colleges that rely on letters can increase their effectiveness or decrease the chances of bias, he said, by asking for a specific focus on actions, rather than more general rhetoric about how wonderful a student is.

Does the student bring in extra materials to share? Do the students collaborate and listen to others? We have retired comments and introduced Letters to the Editor. Share your thoughts ». Expand comments Hide comments.

View the discussion thread. About Contact Subscribe. Admissions Insider. Recommendation Letters and Bias in Admissions. If you ask someone to write you a recommendation on LinkedIn, or if they offer, consider these steps:.

Ensure they are visible on the platform, have a following and are in a position where their support of you will have meaning. Identify keywords that are meaningful to the people you want to attract to your profile, attributes of your reputation and areas of your experience that their endorsement of you will strengthen. Ensure all of your recommendations paint a well-rounded picture of who you are, what you stand for and how you want to be perceived.

If you have five recommendations and they all speak to your expertise in problem-solving or team building, for example, consider getting some new ones that highlight other aspects. Do you know them well and feel comfortable recommending them? Is there any potential risk to you in publicly supporting them?

I was asked recently to write a recommendation for someone I just met and connected with. What specific terms or keywords would they like you to weave in? When you can write a recommendation that supports their specific objectives, it will serve them best. Recommendations on LinkedIn are a great way to highlight your value, character traits and skills in unique and interesting ways. These people are rarely able to provide an objective, unbiased account of your character and abilities.

In most cases, your recommenders do not have to write letters on your behalf, but choose to anyway, because they care about you and want you to succeed. So, make sure to express your gratitude. Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant.

Application Strategies , Navigating the Admissions Process. A few points of advice: Request early. Dave Bergman. Toggle navigation Business 2 Community. Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0. Asking for a recommendation via LinkedIn is simple. As an example, on a laptop or desktop: Go to the profile of the person you want to request a recommendation from and click on More.

On the dropdown menu select request a recommendation see below : Then complete the box that appears, confirming your relationship to the person you are requesting a recommendation from and your position at the time of that relationship. Twitter Tweet. Facebook Share.