There are thousands of students who apply for admission to US universities, and you are looking for the same, you need to make your application stand out. While academic performance is important, it is not the only aspect that is evaluated by US universities. A strong LOR goes a long way in creating a good impression the eyes of evaluators.

Go through the format, tips, and mistakes of writing a LOR that will help give your application a boost:

Format of a LOR
In most cases, LORs consist of 400-500 words. But it is always considered best to check if the university you are applying for has its own format. While formatting your LOR, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Use an A4-size page.
• Ensure line and paragraph spaces are aligned properly.
• Set the font size to 11 or 12.
• Make sure you keep a 1-inch margin on the page.
• Font color should always be black on a white background.

Tips to follow

• Keep the language simple Rather than using extravagant words, focus on using simple and effective language which will help put across your message clearly. Make sure to establish your relation with the recommender in the beginning. Mention your skills and strengths along with suitable examples. Conclude all your points with simple language which will give a much more effective tone as compared to using complex vocabulary.
• Communicate with your recommender regarding the format In order for your LOR to be effective, it is very important for you to work with your recommender. Often, recommenders are unaware of what is needed when it comes to the format of the LOR, and hence you should communicate with them so that there is no problem with the format or any pointers that should be included in the LOR.
• Provide data to back your achievements Every student includes a list of their achievements and projects that they have worked on. But what would give your LOR an edge over the basic ones is yours including statistics to back your achievements. For instance, your performance being among the top 5% of the class in a particular subject.

Mistakes to avoid

• Not choosing an ideal recommender
  It is very important that you put a lot of thought into who you want your recommender to be. This decision will directly affect the impact on your LOR, and this is why you should choose a recommender that you know will add great value to your application.
• Repeating your qualities
  Each of your LOR should include a different aspect of your extensive profile. Repeating your qualities in different LORs will make your application less effective. A strong LOR would be able to cover different strengths of your profile, along with examples.
• Maintaining a standard message in all your LORs
  There is no point in you having multiple LORs if you are going to have one common message across all of them. The whole reason for universities requesting you to provide several LORs is so that they can get a better judgment of your application, and making sure LOR is unique would give a very good impression. Now that you have learnt how to prepare an ideal LOR for US Universities, the next thing for you to think about is the finances for your academic expenses once you get accepted into one of the universities. We at Avanse can help you with favourable education loan plans for your study in US, so do get in touch with us.