Letters of Recommendation (Scholarships)

ElenaKeltzElenaKeltz Posts: 7 ✭✭
First Compass Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment 5 Likes
edited December 2022 in Grants & Scholarships

Hello!

We are currently building our scholarship application and are considering making some changes in regards to letters of recommendation. Previously, we have asked students to request two letters of recommendation and upload them to their applications. We often receive form letters and have heard from our committees that these aren't useful for the selection process.

For our upcoming scholarship round, we'll be asking for one letter of recommendation and using the third party question tool. We are considering having recommenders fill out a short questionnaire or giving them a specific prompt rather than having them upload a letter.

We would love to hear feedback on this idea and about different approaches to letters of recommendation! Do you ask for letters of recommendation? If so, how many? Do your recommenders receive any kind of prompt/fill out specific questions? If so, what does this look like, and have you received any feedback on this

Thank you!

Comments

  • DanielleFleerDanielleFleer Posts: 17 ✭✭✭
    First Compass Anniversary Photogenic 5 Likes First Answer

    Hi Elena,

    We don't use formal letters of recommendation, however, students are prompted to add two references who will fill out a form on their behalf - this utilizes the third-party question tool. The reference form is 6 questions where they rate the student on a scale of 1-5, then they have the option to leave comments ("Is there anything else you'd like us to know about this applicant?"). This is where references will sometimes paste in a letter of recommendation, but mostly it ends up being a few sentences about the student. I think the typical reference spends about 5-10 minutes filling out the form (which they receive a link to the form in their email). With the scale below, we do tend to see that majority will just give students all 5s, even though it's meant to be "superior", so that's something to consider.

    I think what you are considering with a specific prompt/asking a few short questions will help get more specific, helpful responses. Some general ideas I've heard from other scholarship providers are "In what ways does this student demonstrate integrity?" "How have you seen this student grow?" "How does this student interact with their peers?" This is not something we are currently doing, but I think it is an area for us to explore. The biggest thing to consider is what purpose is/was the letter of recommendation serving? Once you answer that, it'll help figure out what seems like the best option for your org.

    Here's the ratings form we use.

    1 = Below Average, 2 = Average, 3 = Good, 4 = Excellent, 5 = Superior

    Dependable (R1)*

    Hard Working (R1)*

    Meets Challenges (R1)*

    Resourceful (R1)*

    Sets and Achieves Goals (R1)*

    Works Well with Others (R1)*

    Good luck, and let us know what you end up doing since I'm curious about this topic too!

    Thanks,

    Danielle Fleer

  • DanielleFleerDanielleFleer Posts: 17 ✭✭✭
    First Compass Anniversary Photogenic 5 Likes First Answer

    For those who were on the User Group Zoom call today, this is how our Third Party reference section is introduced to the scholarship applicants. For about 300-400 applications, I get less than 5-10 calls/emails to change out who the reference is after the application is submitted.

    _____________

    REFERENCES

    Each reference will be asked to complete a short online Reference Questionnaire. The Reference Questionnaire must be submitted by each reference no later than March 2nd at 5:00pm.

    DO NOT list someone as a reference unless you are sure that he/she will complete the Reference Questionnaire. References who do not respond will negatively affect your overall ranking for a scholarship award, but will not disqualify you.

    It is recommended that you send your request for a reference well in advance of the due date. Frequently, references are not received by the due date if the request has been made less than one week prior to the deadline.

    DO NOT call the Pedrozzi Scholarship office to inquire about the status of the Reference Questionnaires. Instead, you will be able to check the status of your Reference Questionnaires at any time by logging into your Pedrozzi account and viewing the status of "Third Party Responses" on your home page. For further details, you can click "Edit Application" or "View Application" and scroll to the "Reference" section of your application. Visit Pedrozzi.org to see further instructions on how to verify Reference status.

    _____________

    On our website, we link to this page that has screenshots and guides them how to check what email address they entered/if there are any typos: https://pedrozzifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2016-Instructions-for-Reference-Status.pdf

    Hope this helps!

    Danielle

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