Are recommendation letters for college applications a waste of time?

Are Recommendation Letters a Waste of Time When You’re Applying to College?

Are Recommendation Letters a Waste of Time When You’re Applying to College?

The path to college.
Oct. 1 2015 5:07 PM

Getting In: Why Recommendation Letters Matter and “Test Optional” Schools

Things to consider when asking for a recommendation.

150908_GettingIn

Listen to Episode 1C of Getting In!

Advertisement

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and expert Josh Steckel—a college counselor at the Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies and the co-author of Hold Fast to Dreams—answer listener questions.

The first question is from a parent whose child is applying early to a college that’s “testing optional.” She wonders whether excluding test scores from the application could hurt her daughter’s chances of acceptance. The second question is from a teacher who asks whether recommendation letters are a waste of time.

Next week on Getting In: the college essay.

Send us an email—or better yet, a voice memo—to gettingin@slate.com. Or, call our hotline and leave a message at (929) 999-4353.