Writing Advice for Recommenders
Counselor evaluations, teacher evaluations, and additional letters of evaluation, also known as letters of recommendation, are a key component of our holistic review process. Evaluations are written statements, usually about a page in length, that highlight the students academic and personal characteristics, focusing on a recommender's personal experience with the student.
Caltech requires letters of evaluation from two secondary school teachers:
- one from a math or science teacher;
- one from a humanities or social science teacher.
We have compiled the following advice for recommenders to review while crafting your letters, which will help us understand your experience teaching, working with, or mentoring your student.
Math or Science Teacher Evaluation
Caltech students have a deep, profound, and unwavering love for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But you already knew that about your student!
Specific examples to paint a picture of a student's strengths may include:
- Significant contributions to the classroom or school learning environment (e.g., leadership during a lab project, inspiring classmates to dive deeper into complex material, teaching a lesson)
- Involvement in STEM competitions locally, statewide, or nationally, including their impact on the team and/or program
- Demonstration of depth of understanding of difficult concepts
- Demonstration of perseverance, such as a failed lab trial or a difficult mathematical problem
- Context regarding where a student stands academically among the students you have taught over the course of your teaching career
Humanities or Social Science Teacher Evaluation
While Caltech students share a love of STEM, the Caltech core curriculum includes a robust humanities and social sciences curriculum. Teacher evaluations from a class with a strong writing component are important pieces of our holistic review as they allow us to see the breadth of a student's academic preparedness.
Specific examples to paint a picture of a student's strengths may include:
- Significant contributions to the classroom learning environment, such as comments made during class discussion, leadership during a group project, mentorship of other students
- Short excerpts of a student's writing, such as
- Essay, poem, or research paper that stands out as intellectually profound or particularly creative
- Other writing that demonstrated excellent communication about, or comprehension of a complex literary piece or social concept
- Demonstration of a depth of understanding of social, literary, or philosophical topics
- Demonstration of perseverance, such as improvement or evolution as a writer over time
- Context regarding where a student stands academically among the students you have taught over the course of your teaching career
Letter of Evaluation from Site of Research
If an applicant is submitting a research paper, we require an additional recommendation from someone who can provide context to their research. Keep in mind that faculty at Caltech review files, so feel free to include details regarding the students technical achievements.
Consider inducing examples of the following:
- Context of the student's responsibilities. What was the depth of their involvement in the research?
- Context of the impact of the student's contributions to the progress and/or success of the research.
- Where this student stands among the high school students you have worked with throughout your career.
- Based on your experience, comment on their potential to contribute greatly to the advancement of science innovation at Caltech and in the future.
Additional Letters of Evaluation
An applicant may submit up to one additional letter of evaluation if there is another person (mentor, coach, or supervisor) who can provide additional insights about them and their skills - beyond what the two required letters offer. This supplementary letter can also be from a teacher or professor in an academic area an applicant is interested in studying at Caltech, as long as there is no overlap with their other two letters of recommendation.
How do I submit an evaluation?
Documents such as teacher evaluations and additional letters of evaluation must by submitted directly by a school official/recommender. We do not accept these documents when submitted by an applicant/student. We prefer that recommenders submit their evaluation through the application platform an applicant used to apply to Caltech. If this is not possible, a recommender may email a PDF of their evaluation, the applicant's full name, and date of birth to [email protected].