Guidelines for Teacher Recommendation Letters Teacher recommendations are an extremely valuable aspect in the NJGSS admissions process, and we thank you for your efforts. However, NJGSS admission is substantially more competitive than most colleges. Therefore, a copy of a college recommendation, or a recommendation based on college admission criteria, will likely not provide the information required for us to make an informed decision regarding the student.

Please consider the following guidelines when writing your recommendation letter:

(1) We are particularly interested in the academic ability, work ethic, maturity, and leadership of the student to take on advanced college level (beyond AP) work after their junior year of high school.

(2) When considering the attributes listed in (1), please compare the student not only to this current year’s class, but also with students you have taught in the past (5 years, if possible, or more).

(3) Specific examples illustrating the attributes listed in (1) are more valuable in the evaluation process than general statements.

(4) Students provide a list of extra-curricular activities as part of their application, and thus listing a student’s activities is redundant and not particularly helpful.

(5) In contrast, elaborating on a student’s participation in an activity, specifically those related to the sciences/math, or with regards to a student’s leadership abilities/roles, are highly beneficial.

Following these guidelines will provide us with a better perspective of each student nominee and will greatly help in our decision process.