Supporting student university applications
Writing recommendations for your students
Introduction and advice
In addition to teaching IB Diploma chemistry one of the tasks you will be required to do is to provide information about your students to the universities they apply to. Clearly it depends on where the universities are as different countries have very different admission procedures. At the very least you will be asked for a predicted grade. In some countries students only apply to university after they have received their IB results in which case the teacher recommendation is less important. In other countries, particularly the UK and the USA they apply up to a year before they take their IB Diploma and places are awarded very much on the strength of the recommendations received by the applicant’s school.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom students may apply for up to five different courses either at the same university or more usually at different universities. The single application for all the courses is made online through UCAS and students generally apply for conditional offers before they have taken their IB. Part of the application requires a reference. This is usually provided by the school. You may be required to write the whole reference, particularly if you are a form tutor, but more likely you will be asked to contribute to it and someone else in the school will compile it. Because of the word limit the amount of information you will be able to provide will be limited and you should focus mainly on their predicted grade and their particular strengths in chemistry. If you do know the student well you should ensure that the school is also aware of any other information that may support their application. Some universities (and courses) seem to be mainly interested in how the student will perform academically and whether they can demonstrate a passion or at least an informed interest in the particular course they are applying for. Others are more interested in the ‘whole person’ and look to see what else the student can offer in addition to the purely academic. Tailoring the reference to the particular course and universities is quite an art and is the responsibility of the person in charge of university applications within your school.
United States of America
Students applying to universities in the United States of America follow a different system. As with the UK, the school will provide an overall reference but students are also asked to nominate two teachers who know them well. These teachers are then asked to complete a ‘teacher evaluation’ form which in practice means writing a testimonial for the student. A typical form can be found on the Harvard University admissions website.
The advice to teachers given on this form is:
"Please write whatever you think is important about this student, including a description of academic and personal characteristics, as demonstrated in your classroom. We welcome information that will help us to differentiate this student from others. (Feel free to attach an additional sheet or another reference you may have prepared on behalf of this student.)"
Although there is a check box which asks specific questions conscientious teachers will always write a supporting recommendation. If this is produced as an accompanying letter the same recommendation can then be used for different universities. Some teachers find these references difficult to write. It might help to consider the following points:
Be honest. It does you, your student and your school no good to overhype the student. Universities keep records of how predicted grades match up with actual grades and they quickly learn which schools and teachers they can trust.
Talk to the student beforehand. This could also include asking them to complete a short questionnaire so that you are completely aware of their aspirations and all their achievements both in chemistry and in other areas of their life.
Check their past records. If they have come up through your school see what your colleagues have written and what grades they achieved in the past. If they have recently arrived from another school read what the teachers there wrote.
Think of some one-word adjectives that sum up the student. Your aim is to describe well them to someone who does not know them.
Think of anecdotes. Something they did in class that differentiates them from the other students. These could include perceptive comments or questions during class discussions, skill at handling practical apparatus (see image), initiative, interest in the subject beyond the syllabus, etc. etc.
Identify some particularly outstanding pieces of work. Extended Essays are a gift here.
Ensure you can give statements about the student’s personality, general interest and contribution (if any) to society as a whole.
Consider the student’s potential both at university and in a subsequent career.
Consider whether you might be using jargon and reject it. The university is unlikely to know what particular abbreviations and names used in your school refer to.
Examples of genuine USA teacher recommendations
Attached below are two actual references that I wrote for my students. In both the only changes I have made are to remove their name and leave the year vague in order to retain confidentiality. The first was for a student who was academically very able and in a sense this was an easy reference to write. The second was for a less academically able student but who nevertheless (like all students) has many positive qualities.
Example 1 Student X
I get asked to write many testimonials for students applying to US universities. In some ways X’s is the easiest to write as she is an absolutely outstanding young lady who is the top student in her year. X comes from Hong Kong and received an excellent education at Ying Wa Girls’ School before winning a highly deserved scholarship to study at Atlantic College for two years. I have known her since she first arrived here in September 20xx when she joined my Higher Level Chemistry class.
X impressed me immediately by the quality of her questioning and the way in which she very quickly understands new concepts at a much deeper level than her peers. Clearly she already had a good background of factual knowledge before she arrived but she really thrives in a class where the emphasis is placed on critical thinking and questioning the underlying principles. She consistently achieves high marks whenever she is tested and in the end of year examination for her whole year group consisting of fifty higher level students she came top scoring over 90% on what was not an easy paper. Considering that we have many excellent students from many different countries studying here this is no mean achievement. Her particular strengths are to look at the assumptions upon which an argument is based and to question their validity. By gaining an in-depth understanding she is able to apply her knowledge to solve problems in unfamiliar areas. This is amply demonstrated by the quality of her contributions to class discussions. Her written work is always very logically argued and set out neatly (both intellectually and actually). She is able to be concise and distil the essence of a problem in a few words. She clearly very much enjoys studying Chemistry even if one of the reasons why she is doing it is to further her chosen career in medicine.
As part of the requirements of the IB Diploma students must submit a 4000 word extended essay in a subject of their own choosing. X has chosen to do hers in Chemistry and wanted to study something concerned with traditional medicine. During the summer when she was back in China she carried out extensive research and returned with a considerable quantity of the herb Artemisia annua. She has been extracting the artemisinum from this plant and is comparing the different possible methods of extraction as to their efficiency. She realised from the outset that the extraction is difficult and that it may produce negative results. It was typical of X that she wanted to ‘take the risk’ rather than choose a more straightforward project with a more predictable outcome. I have been pleased with her whole approach and she has achieved enough product to be able to perform thin layer chromatography to confirm its identity.
One of the nice things about X is that she is by no means overbearing - in fact, quite the opposite. She does not like being told she is outstanding as she is genuinely very modest. In a conversation I had with her I mentioned that in our culture it is always nice to be appreciated and thanked for doing something. She replied that she would rather do things for others with no expectations otherwise she might question why she was doing it. She is a real force to be reckoned with within this college and has made significant contributions to the extra-curricular life of the college. Once a week she reliably visits an elderly visually impaired lady in the local community as part of our social service programme and is a very active member of Save the Children. She is a key member of the college choir and last March toured Austria singing in many different cities. She is also very much a presence in many student organised events ranging from being a leader at the camp to welcome first year students to participating in a student exchange for a week with the International School of Geneva in Switzerland. One of the outcomes of this was that she really appreciated and values the international aspect of our college where students actually come from their own countries rather than living locally.
X is one of the most highly motivated and gentle natured students I have ever taught. She clearly is exceptionally able and has vast potential, not only academic but also in her dealings with other people. She has all qualities necessary to be an excellent medical practitioner as she really does care about others. She will excel in the competitive atmosphere of a prestigious university and has a huge amount to offer in return.
Example 2 Student Y
Y typifies exactly what a United World College education is all about. He is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who was living in a refugee camp in Uganda before he was awarded a full scholarship to study at Atlantic College. I first met him when he entered my Higher Level Chemistry class in September 20xx. I have come to know him well and find him a very engaging young man who is determined to make the best of his life. He is exceptionally polite and eager to please and is willing to work hard to achieve his aims.
Y really enjoys studying Chemistry although he has had to learn how to cope with the transition from merely learning factual information by heart to gaining genuine knowledge based on understanding. He has already come a long way down this path and I feel he has great potential. At the moment he will score high marks when tested on a particular module but he is still learning how to use his knowledge to solve problems in less familiar areas and to cope with a holistic approach to the subject. He is a very conscientious student who always completes his assignments on time. He plays a very active role in class discussions and can be relied upon to give sensible answers to questions and to ask thoughtful questions. He is in a class that contains some really excellent students so he can get a little frustrated when he does not always reach the high standards set by others but even so he is clearly able to hold his own in their company.
As part of the requirements for the IB Diploma students must do a 4000 word extended essay in a subject of their own choosing. Y has chosen to do his in Chemistry and is studying the amount of halide ions in sea-water. The challenge is to separate the bromide and iodide ions out from the chloride ions. Initially he needed guidance on how to do this but he researched the area well on his own and once underway he has demonstrated a high degree of initiative and self-reliance. He is clearly enjoying the challenge of working on his own project and is organising his time well. It is still some time before the finished essay is due but he is already well on the way to producing a fine piece of work.
As this is a residential college I also know Y well outside the strictly academic environment. He is a humorous and very kind young man who is very popular amongst his fellow students. He has had to cope already with a lot in his life – both of his parents are dead – and yet he seems remarkably cheerful and full of zest. In many areas, not only the academic, he is on a very steep learning curve. For example, he arrived as a total non-swimmer and is now extremely confident in water. He is also the type of person who gives much back to society. He is a keen member of STAR which aims to inform people about the plight of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. He has spoken at several of their events and organised several awareness raising sessions.
Y is the type of student who will really thrive at university. He likes a challenge and will always give of his best to both succeed and improve. He has much to give to fellow students too.