stompy wrote:
I noticed that among the top 10 schools, not many reveal the questions/guidelines for rec letters. Does anyone know if there is any way to get them now?
Looking at Wharton and MIT's, it generally looks like they want recommenders to talk about the applicant's strengths/accomplishments, weaknesses and what has been done to work on them, comparison with peers at the same level, and teamwork/character. I'd like for my recommenders to just write one general letter and make only minor tweaks to it on a school by school basis so knowing questions ahead of time would be very helpful.
The part in bold is probably not realistic....my recommenders showed me their letters after the fact, and each of my 5 schools asked for slightly different information. For instance:
"Tell us about a time you offered the applicant a piece of constructive criticism and how he/she reacted."
"Tell us about a time you witnessed the applicant take an innovative/creative approach to a problem."
"Describe the applicant's interpersonal skills with their peers and subordinates."
And so forth.
If you're applying to multiple schools, your recommenders will have to respond to multiple prompts. There's just no way around that fact. Canned, one size fits all letters will hurt your chances for admission relative to someone who is able to find recommenders who are willing and able to put the time into writing specific anecdotes in response to the questions.