• Business School
    • Admissions Help
    • MBA Essay Tips
    • Executive MBA Essay Tips
    • MBA Admissions Calendar
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
    • Selectivity Index
    • EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants
  • Medical School
    • Admissions Help
    • Med School Admissions 101
    • Secondary Essay Tips (by School)
    • Student Interviews
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
    • Selectivity Index
  • Law School
    • Admissions Help
    • Law School Admissions 101
    • Selectivity Index
    • Free Guides
    • Podcast
    • Video Tips
  • Graduate School
    • Admissions Help
    • Grad School Admissions 101
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
  • College
    • Admissions Help
    • Free Guides
    • Supplemental Essay Tips
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
Accepted

1 (310) 815-9553

Blog HomePodcastContact Us

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

August 25, 2014

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Do I Have to Write a Parent Letter of Recommendation?

Parent Letters of Rec?As a parent, you might have thought your college application work was done, once you had overseen the last “submit” of the Common Application.  And so it seemed — until you, or one of your friends, receive a letter inviting you to add a parent’s recommendation to your child’s college admission file.

The parent recommendation, much like the peer recommendation, has been around for quite some time at a small number of colleges.  This year, the request by the University of Richmond has sparked conversation.

In my files, I have several old parent recommendations, from corporate parents who graded their children with bullet points of positives and negatives as they would a job candidate to a 3 page, single spaced opus that brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it.  Of course these parents each think their children are wonderful.  As a parent, that’s our job – to be our child’s biggest fan.  But each one makes careful note of the characteristics that make their child human and individual.

I never worked at a college that required a parent (or peer) letter of recommendation, but when I received one unsolicited I read it with joy.  Someone cared about this student and wanted to make him or her known to me.  Well written or not, that additional recommendation makes the applicant a bit more human – more than a GPA or an SAT score, or a list of extracurricular activities.  The additional voice taught me more than an essay about kicking the winning soccer goal ever could.

I’m not suggesting that every parent of a college applicant begin writing an unsolicited recommendation.  Should you be offered the opportunity, take it.  Yes, the reader expects you to be biased, but you know your child in a way that no one else does.  The experiences you find seminal to his childhood or adolescence might not be shared in any other format.  It is insightful, to the admissions office, and probably in the end to the writer as well.

This morning, I pulled out that three-page opus, about a young man, who more than a decade ago was stubborn and serious, and ready to contribute to the fight against global warming.  I wonder what path he’s taken.  I’m still thankful that he and his mother shared his story with me.

Accepted.com Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Article by Accepted / College Admissions

Get Accepted!

Choose your desired degree and then the service that best meets your needs.

Which program are you applying to?

What do you need help with?

Join the informed applicants who read Accepted's blog!

8 Popular Posts

1. 7 Simple Steps to Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

2. How to Write About Your Research Interests

3. 4 Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future

4. When Will Medical Schools Give You an Answer?

5. How to Write a Goal Statement for Graduate School

6. Sample Essay from Admitted HBS Student

7. Writing Your Physician Assistant (PA) Personal Statement [Plus Sample Essay]

8. How to Write Your Master’s in Engineering Statement of Purpose

Recent Posts

  • UC Berkeley Haas Expands Deferred MBA Program
  • Predoc & Premed Summer Undergraduate Research Programs
  • Should You Apply in Round 3? Let’s Find Out!
  • What a Law Career Is Really Like [Episode 401]
  • The 5 Essential Elements of a Winning Med School Application
This Site is Featured on GMATClub

Home Page Services and Prices MBA Med School Law School Grad School College

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog
Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553
© 2021 Accepted

BBB A+ RatingStamp of AIGAC Excellence

Copyright © 2021 · Education Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in