Application process: statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, transcripts.

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Neo
Major: International Business
Status: Light Keeper

A person with strange ideas in my head and strange feelings in my heart...

Application process: statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, transcripts.
Andy Neo

Letters of Recommendation
Although grade point averages and Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores play a central role in graduate admissions and job opportunity, most graduate programs and employers do not base their decisions on numeric scores alone. In fact, highly competitive programs may simply use these scores as a screening device to reduce the size of their applicant pool. In such a situation, letters of recommendation can be extremely important. Each institution will let you know how many letters it requires. Generally, you will be asked for three letters. Send only the amount of letters requested. Admissions committees do not have enough time to read extra credentials.
The most helpful letters come from teachers who have had considerable contact with you, especially in non-classroom setting such as research labs. A letter from a teacher who says he or she can't remember who you are exactly but you got an A so you must be quite bright is not helpful. After all, information about coursework per se is available on your transcript--the letter adds nothing and may in fact subtract something; it suggests that you haven't had sufficient contact with your teachers to have secured a more informative recommendation. What does this mean to committees? Maybe it means that you are an extremely timid person, the kind who disappears into the background, does well on tests but says nothing in class, for example.
The best kind of letter is from someone who has been involved with you professionally - who has supervised research on your part, who has co-authored a paper with you and so on. However, if you want to have a really fine letter of recommendation, you have to have done some really find things, such as conducting quality research or making presentations to professional meetings. Also, don't include letters from public officials or professionals with whom your contacts have not been of a professional sort. Don't get your priest or rabbi or minister, your family doctor or other individuals of that kind to write a letter in your behalf. Last but not least, don't ask your personal therapist to send a letter.
1. Ask for a letter well before the date it is due.
2. Ask to write the letter of recommendation cordially and formally.
3. Be sure to supply the following information as a minimum: full name, special skills or talents, statement of career interests and goals, list of professionally relevant extracurricular and summer activities, honors, professional associations, formal research experience (papers written, read, submitted for publication), and anything else which would serve to identify you and your strengths. The more specific information your reference has about you and your leadership roles, the better the letter he or she can write.
4. Provide the full name, title, and complete mailing address of the person to whom a letter should be written. Please provide an addressed and pre-stamped envelope with each letter request. Unless you have been given other instructions, the letter should be addressed to mail directly to the graduate school.
5. Be sure to indicate for what purpose the letter is being written, (e.g., Master of Science program in child development etc.). The more specific the purpose, the more specific (and pertinent) the letter.
6. Prepare a self-addressed (to you), stamped postcard with the message on the back: "To (whomever the letter of recommendation is to be sent): Please mail this card if a letter of recommendation concerning me has been received from (name of your reference)." Sign your name, and ask the referee to include it with his/her or form. If you do not receive the card in a few weeks, check on the status of the letter.
7. You have a legal right to see letters written about you unless you waive that right. Waving that right is somewhat risky, but the letter carries more weight if it is confidential. Recipients place more credence on letters which are not read by students. Therefore we recommend that you waive your rights to read the letter or form. If you are in doubt about the kind of recommendation the referee will write, ask. Most referees, if they cannot in good conscience write a good letter, will tell you so.
Presenting Your Materials Appropriately
All of your communications should be typed. Don't send anything hand written. You should be certain that your letters are grammatically correct and that they contain no misspelled words and no colloquialisms. Have someone else read your letters if necessary.
Colleges will require a complete set of records of your academic performance at previous schools attended. many colleges will accept unofficial copies for their preliminary evaluation, but will require original or official documents to confirm their review later. if your original records are not in English, submit an official translation with your academic records.
What are transcripts?
You probably will need to copy the records of your high school years only, no need to copy those of your secondary years. Remember, you can't turn in just the copies, you have to Certify them by getting the school's seal.
Will the transcripts affect your chance of acceptance? Yes, of course. Transcripts, personal essays and recommendation letters are the three most affecting factors in application process. Usually if you apply for scholarships, you will need to be in the top 5 of the class or the top 5% of the school.
Auditions and portfolios
Schools of architecture, film, and the arts usually require additional information about you in order to assess your qualifications for admission to their programs. this may include portfolios of your work of art, architecture, and design programs, and auditions for music and theater programs. they will often accept audiotaped or videotaped representations of auditions from applicants who are unable to perform in person.

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