Letters of Recommendation: Make sure they recommend you!

(It's true. In my years of admission counseling, I've actually come across letters of recommendation that did not recommend the student for admission.)

All joking aside, a great letter of recommendation gives the admission committee an idea of your character beyond the basic information you provide in your application.

Here are some tips for letters of recommendation that I've found myself passing on to college applicants:

• Choose wisely! Ask for letter(s) from teachers, counselors and/or employers who have had positive experiences in working with you


• Letters from famous people should only be used if that person has worked directly with you. We're more impressed by a sincere, well-written letter from a teacher who has known you and worked with you than a letter from a famous person or public figure who is only an acquaintance.


• Talk to the teacher, counselor and/or employer that you're asking to write a letter on your behalf, and provide them with a resume or list of activities. They'll feel more comfortable talking both about their direct experiences with you and supplement the letter with other information about your accomplishments.


• Give the person plenty of time to think about the letter, write it and send it to the college you're applying to


• Provide a stamped and addressed envelope for the letter(s), or instructions on what you'd like the person to do with the completed letter


• Tell the person your application deadline, or else, a date by which you'd like the letter to be completed.


• Quality over quantity -- don't overdo it! Two or three letters are sufficient to have for your applications, unless a college has otherwise requested. You'd rather have 2-3 quality letters submitted by people who know you well than submit 10 letters written by people who "sort of" know you.

Above all, be sure to thank the person for taking the time to help you with your college application process.

...And hey, when you get into the college of your choice, you should make it a point to tell the people who wrote you letters of recommendation -- because they played an important part of you getting admitted!

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They Hugged the Lake!

[First of all, I'm sorry for not posting more often this month. We've had a busy month as the Class of 2012 has made their decisions about where they'd like to be this fall -- and we're thrilled to finally have our class in place!]

On Earth Day, April 22, 2008 -- I got to witness a few hundred UM students show their love to our Lake Osceola and participate in our "Hug the Lake" event. This event was started by our students two years ago, by a student organization called Random Acts of Kindness (RAK). RAK works to do just that -- promote random acts of kindness around campus, and to organize this giant hugging of the lake.

One of my staff members got brave enough to go to the top of one of our dorm towers to take photos, and she's shared them with me. I thought it was also a great way for you to see a truly panoramic view of our campus!

(You can see the chain forming along the lake.)

(This student leader was riding around the lake encouraging more students to join the hug. She got on the campus PA system to get all of the huggers to sing our Alma Mater -- and then the fountain in the middle of the lake came on to celebrate the hug!)

And the huggers got pizza, compliments of RAK and the event sponsors.

These are the kinds of events that I really look forward to around campus -- and I can only hope that our future classes ensure that such simple acts of kindness towards each other and the campus will continue.

Congratulations to RAK for a successful hug!

Question: What kind of school events have you done in high school that you think you'd like to add to our traditions?

Advice about Financial aid

Renee asked me a great question about how parents can feasibly consider having their child attend a private university, especially when you consider the costs associated with a private university like ours.

My advice for those parents and students who are in the "beginning" stages of their college search is not to rule out applying for or considering a university because of the cost. You should conduct your search with some attention paid to cost, but don't cross a school off your list just because it's expensive.

The truth is that you cannot predict how costs, financial aid and scholarships will work out until you're at the crossroads of "okay, I've been accepted to schools A, B, and C, and here are my financial aid packages..." -- only then can you truly say whether or not a school is affordable. You also can't rely on other students' experiences and financial aid packages to gauge how you'll fare in the process because every family's situation is different and applied to several colleges, each scenario will play out in a different way.

I've worked with a number of private universities in my career -- both directly and as a colleague -- and for the students and parents I've met -- I've nearly always given this advice. I don't give this advice because it's "a part of my job" -- I give this advice sincerely because I've seen the opposite effect happen -- that students don't even apply due to costs...and then they are left wondering what would have happened if they had just given the application process a try.

I don't think there's any reason to fear the process. There is no crystal ball for this process -- if this was all that simple -- I'd be out of a job -- or else I'd have to learn how to read palms.

Narrow your schools down because of "fit" or because it doesn't have the types of academics you're looking for. Let the financial aid questions be answered truthfully through the admission and financial aid application processes.

Renee, I hope your son applies next year...

And Medini -- we look forward to your daughter making this place home too.

If you're considering applying in the future...

I've been an admission counselor for...a long time...no need for me to be specific. You'll just have to take my word for it!

Why have I stayed in admission all this time? This line of work never gets boring. Every year, I learn something new from the students I meet.

I'd love for you to tell me how my keeping this blog might help you as you start or continue your college search. As a student (or a parent of a student) interested in the University of Miami, it's become important to me that you have the answers you need. Who knows how things will turn out in the end? There's no way I can predict any outcomes -- but at least I know that I did my best to help you along the way.

What do you want to know? What do you think I should know about you?

Leave your comments, and keep your eyes on my next posts...

Our first virtual college fair - March 25 & 26

I would like to invite our prospective students, accepted students, parents and guidance counselors to meet us at our first online college fair. We're excited to be participating in...

COLLEGE WEEK LIVE - an online college fair
Dates: March 25th and March 26th
Times: 12noon - 11pm EST (you can log in at any time to chat with us)

Through this virtual college fair, you'll be able to chat online with a number of UM representatives, including current students, parents of current students, alumni, admission counselors, and other UM administrators/faculty.

Explore more of what College Week Live can offer you:

• About College Week Live (CWL)
• Participating colleges
• Take a Virtual Tour
• Information for Parents
• Information for Counselors
  

I hope you stop by our booth to meet us!

Congratulations, UM's Class of 2012!

Alright, I'll admit it. I caught the blogging bug. The other day, I overheard a family talking in our lobby about how they appreciated a blog being kept by another university Director of Admission -- and my staff has been trying to get me to set one up and keep one for communicating with our students -- so I thought, maybe it's a sign that I should just set this up.

So here we are...and the first thing I'd like to say is congratulations to the incoming University of Miami Class of 2012!

This truly is the most competitive class I've seen in the history of this university. I've been working at UM since 1992 -- and I've been here as the university has gone through an amazing transformation even just in the time that I've been here.

This class' averages (such as GPA, SAT/ACT and average class rank) are likely to pass last year's but we won't know for sure until later in the summer. I can tell you though, that what I've seen so far is very impressive, and the members of the Class of 2012 have much to be proud of.

I've received quite a few questions from this incoming class about what happens next, so I thought I'd help answer some of these questions through this blog:

What if I'd like to VISIT CAMPUS?

So, who's planning to visit before they make any final decisions? Check out our campus tour schedule at www.miami.edu/admission/tourschedule. My staff and I would love to be able to personally congratulate the newest members of this class. You can also go to www.miami.edu/acceptedrsvp for information about our Accepted Student Open House on April 6.

I can't make it to campus, so are there REGIONAL RECEPTIONS?

If you can't make it to campus, you should try to meet us at a regional accepted student reception near you. Click here to find a reception near you.

When are FINANCIAL AID packages being sent out?

Financial aid packages/information will be sent out later this month -- to give all of our accepted students time to weigh their options before making a final decision on (or before) May 1.

Those are just a couple of the questions I'm asked frequently at this time of the year. What else is on your mind? Feel free to leave me comments/questions that I can answer in my next post. Go 'Canes!