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- Brag Sheet.
- Структура письма.
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• Есть ли у кандидата какие-то необычные компетенции, талант или
лидерские качества?
• Если у вас есть знания о (ВУЗе), что заставляет вас верить, что
(ВУЗ) хорошо подходит для этого человека? Как он (она) может
вписаться в сообщество (ВУЗа) и вырасти, используя опыт данного
ВУЗа?
3) Рассказы и примеры
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Сравните два примера:
4) Сильная лексика
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Brag Sheet.
При составлении рекомендательного письма помните: ваша задача –
отличить ученика от остальных как особенного и удивительного
кандидата, осветить и интеллектуальные, и личные качества, и дать
комиссии целостный взгляд на человека, который придет в
университетский кампус в следующем году (если ему повезет). Также
вы можете попросить учащегося составить Brag Sheet, где он(а)
составить список всех своих достижений и ярких моментов.
Структура письма.
Мы нашли подробный набор инструкций для написания
рекомендательных писем, разбивая на три части: введение, основная
часть и заключение.
Вступление
• Зацепка, приманка: начните с сравнения/метафоры, абсолютного
утверждения, удивительного факта, красочной характеристики.
Основная часть
Вывод
It was clear, then, why she was good with chaos: she lived in a tiny little
house with her parents and four sisters, and when a baby brother ( nally)
appeared during her freshman year, she rolled with that, too: my own son is
just a year or so older, and she and I would commiserate about teething and
late nights and diapers. From those conversations, I realized that Jordan has
the gift and burden of being a practical, sympathetic person —sympathetic
enough to be driven to help those in need, and practical enough to see what
can be done. So when her mom struggled with a house full of babies and a
job, it was always Jordan who put down her homework to go get dinner
started or to wipe a snotty nose or to fold a load of laundry. The older girls
had their sights on the big world and the younger ones were too little to help
—it tended to fall on her.
It was clearly a house with a lot of love and not quite enough resources,
and while she had more responsibilities than I wished, I mostly admired how
well she handled it.
All that changed spring of her sophomore year when her father died. Being
a teacher means watching this happen once every few years. The emotional
impact is, of course, brutal, but usually it’s relatively simple: the issue is grief,
and time does help. But they have six children in the house, 3 not yet in
school, and that’s not a simple problem. It’s a world of responsibility and
expense, and it’s not something that time can soothe. I cried when I realized
she was working part time, because I know how hard she works at school,
and I could imagine the grind of her life each day—from the minute she
wakes up until she goes to bed, there is an endless need for a pair of hands
at home, and then she goes to school to face a brutal academic schedule.
Adding a shift at a fast food restaurant before heading home to juggle
toddlers and preschoolers and to somehow get her homework done seemed
beyond all reason—but the reason was the simple economic need to avoid
being a burden on the family, and to help out with some other expenses. I
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hugged her when she managed to save up enough to quit during AP exams
season. I felt like a weight lifted o me—even the sympathy weight was
rough —what was the real one like? Of course, she went right back to work
when school let out, and when she went back and asked for her job back,
they promoted her to shift manager. She spent the summer running a crew of
adult full-time fast food workers, and she saved enough to be able to quit for
the school year.
I could not do what Jordan does. But she does it. Every damn day. I don’t
know that it ever occurs to her that she could let anything go-- she passed
most of her sophomore AP exams a month after burying her dad, and had an
even stronger performance her junior year despite having no time to even
think. She never misses an assignment, and I wish they looked more rushed,
because I’d feel less guilty about assigning them. Her grades have stayed
good—not as good as they would have been, I think, but good—and she’s
continued to take the most challenging course load we o er, including the
marathon AP Physics/AP Chemistry course we call SuperLab. She’s heavily
involved with YWISE, a STEM research program through the University of
Texas at Dallas. More tellingly, she’s maintained a social life—she keeps up
with her friends, worries about their problems, gossips about boys, and
never, ever complains. She still makes it to meeting of the Girl Club she
helped found, to dances and to socials. She still indulges in blue or pink hair
dye when she can. She’s still a vital part of our community.
But she always looks tired to me, and a little underfed, and it breaks my
heart every day.
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THE HIGH-ACHIEVING STUDENT
Taylor managed to nd the one school in America where he’d be the odd
man out, and he was as good for us as we were for him. He bridges some
very di erent worlds found in highly selective institutions, and I think he’d be
a fabulous resource for any such community.
For one thing, Taylor always brings his full intelligence and analytical ability
to bear on his faith. There are strains of Evangelical Protestantism that
discourage active and sincere questioning, but that is not Taylor’s way. He
questions everything, and he always embraces nuance and tone. So when
he was suddenly immersed in an environment that challenged rather than
reinforced his faith, he didn’t feel threatened—rather, he appreciated the
chance to really explore his own beliefs in a new context. Furthermore, his
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analytical nature means he is able to compartmentalize and to appreciate
people that are truly di erent than he is. I, myself, could not be more di erent
than Taylor in this way—I pretty clearly lean far left, and I know I’ve used
cuss words in front of him he probably never even heard before—but we’ve
always had a relationship de ned by mutual respect and an honest
willingness to learn from each other.
Second, he’s a really nice young man who makes friends readily. I’ve
watched him develop deep friendships with students so very di erent from
him—racially and socioeconomically, of course, but also ideologically. He
has really high and speci c ethical standards for himself, but he doesn’t
worry about other people. He’s used these last four years to learn about
worlds he didn’t know existed, and it’s made him humble and thoughtful.
We’ve had other, similar students in his position that didn’t react as
gracefully: suddenly being the minority is jarring, and some students react
with resentment. Taylor, though, understands his own situation is a shadow
of what many of his classmates face in other contexts, and rather than
become bitter, he’s become sympathetic and wise.
In many ways, college is traditionally the place where students like Taylor
have the opportunity to learn what Taylor already knows—how to get along
and work with people that are di erent than themselves. Taylor will be a
catalyst for that process: he can move comfortably in literally any company,
and he can translate between very di erent people—and teach them to
connect to each other. If I were putting together a group of students for a
long term research program and I was worried about group cohesion, Taylor
is the person I’d select because he would be the model and the architect for
mutual respect and cooperation. Also, he could write the paper.
Taylor thinks he’s going to be an engineer. No one here believes him. He’ll
get the engineering degree, but it’s clear to us he’ll end up doing something
larger than that: his skill set is too large, his interests and passions too broad,
his gifts for working with people too profound. I don’t know exactly what he
will do—entrepreneur, author, large-scale project manager?---but it will be
remarkable. He’ll be a huge asset to your community from day one, and be a
credit to the institution for decades after. He carries my very strongest
recommendation. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t
hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
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THE INTROVERTED STUDENT
Somewhere on your campus you have a professor who will be really glad
you accepted Taylor. He’s that kind of student—the sort to be liked and
respected by his classmates, but really appreciated by the professors who
will see what is so clear to any adult paying attention—Taylor has the soul of
an academic. Right now, he thinks he’s getting a degree in a STEM eld and
then a job, but that’s just because he’s the rst in his family to go to college
and he doesn’t even know the world he’s best suited to even exists. He’ll get
the STEM degree, but he won’t stop there, and he’ll nd his place in the
world where complex thought justi es itself.
Taylor is brilliant. I don’t know what the absolute number of National Merit
Semi-Finalists that are poor, rst-generation children of immigrants coming
from a non-English speaking home, but I’m sure it’s appallingly low. He can
read anything—not just decode, but understand nuance and tone and
context. He writes organized, e ective prose. Taylor has barely begun to tap
his own potential—even here, I’m not sure he’s ever really had to put his
head down and work. Outside projects, like Robots and Academic
Decathlon, have given him the opportunity to really extend himself, but even
then he’s been working o of someone else’s blueprint, and that’s not the
same. This is one that is going to explode a few years into a true intellectual.
Taylor likes to talk, but not in a large class. He’s best in a small group, or
during o ce hours: he’s the sort that thinks so fast that he needs to speak
slowly—any question posed to him evokes not a response, but a mental
avalanche of responses, objections, counter-responses, analogies, and
implications that he needs to process before he talks, needs to almost
physically keep himself in check to insure that he isn’t leaving his listener far
behind. His essays were fantastic— Taylor at his best when he has time and
space to really develop an idea. While Taylor certainly has a breadth of
knowledge to draw upon, in his heart he is a deep thinker—he wants to take
ideas and see how far he can go with them. He’s just the sort that thrives on
really complex and intricate research.
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thoughtless ignorance. He is well liked, and has a circle of friends, but he
struggles to connect easily to his peers as a whole—he’s not given to
adolescent banter. But when he feels safe—when he doesn’t worry he’s
talking over someone’s head or boring the life out of them--he’s fantastic:
warm, engaged, thoughtful and willing to listen. He likes this school and he
likes his classmates, but he hasn’t quite found his people yet. I’m pretty sure
that he will nd them in the world of academia.
Sincerely,
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THE MIDDLE-OF-THE-PACK STUDENT
I have such a soft spot for Jordan. In the year he was in my AP Literature
class, I really learned to respect his unusual ability to re ect on his own life,
and to use his own self-re ection to set goals and expectations that are
meaningful and appropriate to who he is, not merely a response to others’
expectations.
While Jordan might have been middle of the pack in his STEM courses, he
was one of my better English students. His observations and insights into
characters in great literature were always impressive, and grew better and
better throughout the year as he learned to appreciate the medium more. I
always noticed that he was unusually sensitive to character’s internal
struggles and doubts, their unspoken motivations. His essays and classroom
commentary often presented very clever ideas that were totally unrelated to
my own interpretations or previous class discussions. I think this is an
outgrowth of his tendency to intensively re ect on his own motivations and
internal processes. His own personal aesthetic is a wonderful combination of
STEM-nerd, gentle vaquero, and small town friendly. That’s absolutely
something he constructed himself out of his own re ections and what suits
him, because nowhere in the world combines all those world-views.
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without the other. I think this held him back signi cantly, and that he will
really thrive in college where the extended researched argument becomes
the standard product. Jordan’s brain was made for extended researched
arguments.
Sincerely,
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THE OUTLIER STUDENT
You look at Jordan’s application, and the story writes itself—fantastic test
scores, pathetic grades, weak extracurriculars--anyone would look at those
and think “smart, but doesn’t apply himself—will huddle in his dorm playing
video games until he unks out. Next!” That’s the obvious, easy
interpretation—it’s how a lot of us interpreted him, for years—but it couldn’t
be further from the truth. Please, please, please take a deeper look at this
application and consider giving him the chance he needs to demonstrate the
amazing young man that he is.
First, bluntly, Jordan is a victim of sustained abuse. CPS has been called,
the situation has been mitigated, we are watching him, but by the time we
became aware of this, much of the damage had been done. As a freshman,
he sat in my class with a at a ect and refused to answer questions or do
homework. He often looked exhausted. I assumed---we all assumed—he
was a student who really didn’t want to be in our specialized STEM program
and he was committing academic suicide so that he could return to his home
school. I did ask if there was anything wrong at home, but he very
convincingly blew that o . It wasn’t until his sophomore year that the
situation was revealed to us, and even then, it came in bits and pieces—he
kept talking about “corporal punishment” and really didn’t seem to
understand that bruises up and down your arms and knees sti from hours
of kneeling were not a “dark quirk of culture”--which was how he rationalized
this to himself. The abuse came entirely at the hands of his father, and while
the physical punishment has stopped, it is still not a happy or healthy
household. Jordan has learned some hard lessons at his father’s hands, and
they continue to a ect him.
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There are other lessons I wish he hadn’t learned so well: he’s been taught
that he isn’t entitled to anything—not love, not support, not safety. It stops
him from asking for help when he should, and it’s going to be a long path for
him to learn that he’s allowed to expect things from the people that love him.
He’s learned that strength is about enduring, not advancing—his hero is his
mother, a war refugee who has fought her whole life to survive. His own
situation is exasperated by his father’s emphasis on success: every ambition
Jordan ever developed—from spelling bee to karate to academic success—
turned into a justi cation for rage and abuse when he “failed”--and it didn’t
matter how far he advanced, as long as there was anyone anywhere who
achieved at a higher level, he was made a target. I have no doubt Jordan will
be successful at school, in the sense that he will graduate in 4 years with
reasonably good grades. I hope for more, though— that he will nd a
community that teaches him that it’s safe to want things, to ght for them.
Jordan is going to break this cycle and turn into the sort of person who
speaks out against the sort of hell he faced. He has so, so much to give if
only we can get him to a safe space where he can undo some of the damage
done to him and start to rebuild himself. If you have any questions or
concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I mean that.
Sincerely,
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ANOTHER OUTLIER STUDENT EXAMPLE
Taylor is a bit of an anachronism. He’s been raised by his grandparents
using a model that was honestly a little old-fashioned when they were raising
their own kids: it’s all early to bed, early to rise, plenty of chores, and you
aren’t going to spend all summer sitting around young man, you can be
chopping wood and mowing lawns to save for college. There was also a
great deal of unconditional love and mutual respect. Together, that
combination has shaped a strong-minded, hard-working, ethical and rational
young man who manages to be both socially awkward and oddly charming.
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Taylor would be a wonderful addition to any academic community. He’s
absolutely academically on par with any of his peers, but his background, his
frame of reference, his sense of how things connect is so unique that he
can’t help but inspire true intellectual dialogue. He’s patient and polite and
respectful and he truly loves to learn. I highly recommend him.
Sincerely,
I had the pleasure of teaching Sara in her 11th grade honors English class
at Mark Twain High School. From the rst day of class, Sara impressed me
with her ability to be articulate about di cult concepts and texts, her
sensitivity to the nuances within literature, and her passion for reading,
writing, and creative expression- both in and out of the classroom. Sara is a
talented literary critic and poet, and she has my highest recommendation as
a student and writer.
Throughout the year Sara was an active participant in our discussions, and
she always supported her peers. Her caring nature and personality allow her
to work well with others in a team setting, as she always respects others'
opinions even when they di er from her own. When we held a class debate
about gun laws, Sara opted to speak for the side opposite her own views.
She explained her choice as motivated by a desire to put herself in other
people's shoes, view the issues from a new perspective, and gain a clearer
sense of the issue from all angles. Throughout the year, Sara demonstrated
this openness to and empathy for the opinions, feelings, and perspectives of
others, along with shrewd powers of observation, all qualities that makes her
outstanding as a student of literature and burgeoning writer.
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she meets. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at
callmeclemens@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Заметки:
Ms. Scribe высокого мнения о Саре и ее навыках письма и
литературного анализа. Один из способов, которым она выражает это,
- использование мощного и специфического языка. Она не просто
говорит, что Сара хороший писатель. Она говорит, что четко
формулирует сложные концепции и чувствительна к нюансам в
литературе. Она называет ее проницательной и самосознающей с
проницательной наблюдательностью.
Это письмо будет хорошим подспорьем для Сары, особенно если она
собирается изучать литературу или английский язык. Она явно
произвела впечатление на своего учителя английского языка и, в свою
очередь, получила памятное, комплиментарное рекомендательное
письмо для своего заявления в колледж.
Stacy is a perceptive, sharp, quick individual with a high aptitude for math
and science. She is driven to understand how things work, whether they be
the old computer hard drives in the school library or the forces that hold our
universe together. Her nal project in class was especially impressive, an
investigation of frequency-dependent sound absorption, an idea that she
said was sparked by not wanting to bother her parents with her hours of
guitar practice at home. She's been a strong leader in Robotics Club, eager
to share her knowledge with others and learn new skills. I have the students
in the club prepare lessons and take turns leading our after-school meetings.
When it was Stacy's turn, she showed up prepared with a fascinating lecture
on lunar nautics and fun activities that got everyone moving and talking. She
was our only student teacher to be met with much deserved applause at the
end of her lesson.
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Sincerely,
Заметки:
Ms. Randall сразу же подключается к Стейси с заявлением о
выдающемся рейтинге: Стейси-одна из самых выдающихся студенток,
которых она имела за 15 лет преподавания. Подобное заявление
довольно необычно и произведет впечатление на читателей. Стейси
говорит как особенная студентка, и она хорошо выбрала своего
рекомендателя.
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college and beyond, as well as the excellent work that he will produce at the
college level. William has my highest recommendation. If you have any
questions, please contact me at thethingstheycarried@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jackson, History Teacher, Martin Luther King, Jr. High School
Заметки:
Как и Ms. Randall в своем письме, Mr. Jackson дает заявление о
выдающемся рейтинге Уильяма, называя его одним из самых
заботливых и целеустремленных студентов, которых он когда-либо
учил. Учитывая его долгую преподавательскую карьеру в 15 лет, это
многое говорит об Уильяме как студенте и человеке.
Joe would not describe himself as a math person. He's told me on several
occasions that all the numbers and variables make his mind go fuzzy. Joe
did, in fact, struggle to comprehend the material at the beginning of the year,
but his response to this is what really struck me. Where so many others have
given up, Joe took on this class as a welcome challenge. He stayed after
school for extra help, got extra tutoring at the nearby college, and asked
questions in and out of class. Due to all his hard work, Joe not only raised
his grades, but he also inspired some of his classmates to stay after for extra
help, as well. Joe truly demonstrated a growth mindset, and he inspired his
peers to adopt that valuable perspective, too. Joe helped contribute to our
classroom environment as one where all students can feel supported and
able to ask questions.
Joe's strong belief in his ability to acquire new skills and improve through
practice was likely shaped by his years as a baseball player. He's played all
through high school and is one of the team's most valuable players. In his
nal for our class, Joe designed an impressive project calculating and
analyzing batting averages. While he initially described himself as not a math
person, Joe reaped the bene ts of his tremendous e ort and found a way to
make the subject come alive for him in a way that he was personally invested
in. As a teacher, it is incredibly ful lling to witness a student make this kind of
academic and personal progress.
Sincerely,
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Заметки:
Mr. Wiles пишет сильное письмо для Джо, с тем же энтузиазмом и
конкретными примерами, что и три других письма. Несмотря на то, что
Джо, возможно, не получил самых сильных оценок в своем классе
математики, он нашел восторженного рекомендателя в своем учителе
математики. Mr. Wiles был чрезвычайно впечатлен отношением Джо,
усилиями и настроем на рост, которые он демонстрировал в течение
всего года и вдохновлял своих одноклассников.
Использованные ресурсы
Оригинальная статья от MIT Перевод этой статьи Пример Brag Sheet (рус)