推荐信就是“彩虹屁”？MIT招生官点评反面案例，说的是你吗？
掐指一算，24Fall的小伙伴们是不是已经开始找老师要推荐信了？
一封好的推荐信，可以成为你其他申请材料的补充，通过第三方的视角证明你确实拥有某种品质。但是一封糟糕的推荐信，很可能是好像夸了，但好像又没夸。
美国大学想要看到什么样的推荐信，又不喜欢哪些推荐信呢？一起来看看，MIT给出的正面和反面典型案例。
在之前的文章中，主页菌和大家分享过，写推荐信的人不一定是给你高分的那门课的老师，而应该是足够了解你的老师。Ta知道你经历过的挫折与困难，熟悉你参与项目的过程，可以给出更个性化的高质量推荐信。
那么学校想看到推荐人从哪些方面来介绍申请者呢？MIT的官网上已经列出了参考：
你与申请人是什么关系？如果你不了解申请人，只能写一个简短的摘要，请写明这一点。
学生是否愿意挑战自我并尝试课堂之外的内容？
申请人有哪些不寻常的能力、才能或领导力？
哪些事情会激励这个申请人，或让他感到兴奋？
申请人是如何与老师和同龄人互动的，请描述下他们的个性和社交技巧。
关于这个学生，你印象最深刻的是什么？
申请人是否有过遇到失败和挫折的经历，如果有的话，Ta是怎么应对的？
如果你了解MIT的话，你为什么认为申请人是适合MIT的，Ta将如何融入MIT的社区文化并获得成长？
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.
MIT招生官点评：
我们每年收到成千上万封这样的推荐信。文中用到的都是积极的话，但这并没有给候选人带来任何真正的深度介绍。诚实和值得信赖当然是令人钦佩的品质，但它们在美国顶尖大学申请者中并不罕见。我们希望找到一个令人信服的理由来录取某人，比如与其他人相比，Jen是否表现得更出色，更像一个合格的候选人等。
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.
MIT招生官点评：
这个例子非常典型在于，文中没有提供太多实质性信息，我们真的不知道作者想要告诉我们什么。也让我们不禁要问，这个学生到底是没有什么可说的，还是老师根本就没有用心去推荐。
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.
MIT招生官点评：
太棒了！该推荐人非常了解这个学生。我们不仅清楚地感受到了申请人的智商超群，也感受到了他心态的成熟。从这位老师的描述中，我们能感受到他对计算机编程的热爱，以及不断为自己创造机会，推动当地计算机事业等发展，这在我们看来是非常重要的。
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.
MIT招生官点评：
有些推荐信的重点在于展现出学生在某一领域的兴趣和能力。比如这篇推荐信可以让我们清楚地了解到Mary对新闻事业的热爱，文中还提供了大量可以佐证她的能力和性格的细节。这些真实的、能让人脱颖而出的东西，可以为Mary的申请大大加分。
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.
MIT招生官点评：
推荐信还承担着解释学生的成绩为什么会在某一段时间里突然下降的作用。比如这封推荐信就向招生官说明了Jane是如何面对生活中的变故，同时兼顾学业的。可能有人会犹豫在推荐信里写这些是不是合适，但是我们很欣赏能够让我们洞察学生身处的环境和他们的表现的东西。
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