A recommendation letter is not something “the teacher writes alone” - it is something “the teacher writes based on the materials you provide.” This article breaks down 12 Brag Sheet details, how to handle Taiwanese teachers’ limited English, and the keys to improving recommendation-letter quality from an essay-consulting perspective.
Every October, I receive the same anxious message from parents: “Our son’s recommendation letter was reviewed by his Counselor, who said it was too generic and had no specific examples. We only found out in November. What should we do?”
My answer is always: “What the teacher writes depends on the details you gave them in the Brag Sheet back in May. Finding out in October is too late. What we can still do now is add a supplementary letter from another recommender.”
Parents become even more anxious: “Then what exactly should go into a Brag Sheet?”
The answer is: A Brag Sheet is not about “listing your achievements” - it is about “giving teachers concrete stories they can quote.” This article breaks down every detail of recommendation-letter guidance from an essay-consulting perspective.
1. The “Dual-Writer Effect” of Recommendation Letters
A recommendation letter has two writers:
Writer
What is visible
Teacher (visible)
Wording, tone, structure
Student (invisible)
Materials provided in the Brag Sheet
The truth: 90% of a recommendation letter’s “specificity” comes from the materials provided by the student. What the teacher does is integrate those materials in their own voice. So the more detailed the Brag Sheet, the stronger the recommendation letter.
2. A Brag Sheet Is Not a Resume - It Is a “Story Bank”
2.1 Resume-Style Brag Sheet (Weak)
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Problem: The teacher cannot see “who this student is.” They can only write a generic “strong student” recommendation letter.
2.2 Story-Bank Brag Sheet (Strong)
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Value: After reading this, the teacher can quote specific details from any of these stories in the recommendation letter - “Mr. Lin shared with me his profound experience in mentoring a 3rd grader to write his first Scratch game...” - and that is what makes a recommendation letter strong.
3. The 12 Core Sections of a Brag Sheet
This is the standard Brag Sheet template I give Dr. G. students:
3.1 Basic Information
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3.2 Application Goals
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3.3 Specific Interactions with the Teacher
This is the most important part of the Brag Sheet - it helps the teacher remember you:
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3.4 Major Academic Achievements (Including Process and Failure)
Do not just list achievements. List “the effort and failure before the achievement”:
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3.5 Major Extracurricular Activities
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3.6 Character Stories (Giving Teachers Something to Quote)
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3.7 Why I Want to Study CS
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3.8 Why I Chose You to Write My Recommendation Letter
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3.9 The 3 Areas You Want the Teacher to Emphasize
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3.10 Deadlines and Follow-Up
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3.11 Your PS Topic (If Already Completed)
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3.12 A “Voice Reference” for the Teacher
If you have read other articles / papers written by the teacher, you can quote their “voice reference”:
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4. What to Do If Taiwanese Teachers Are Not Confident in English
4.1 Chinese-to-English Translation Workflow
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4.2 Notes on Using ChatGPT for Translation
The teacher must review and confirm it
The translation must not change the original meaning
Do not use English that is too polished - AOs may suspect it was not written by the teacher
5. The 5 Main Reasons Recommendation Letters Become Generic
5.1 The Teacher Has No Concrete Stories to Write About
→ The Brag Sheet is too simple, so the teacher can only write a generic “Strong student” letter.
5.2 The Teacher Does Not Know You Well
→ A teacher you only met in 11th grade and have known for 8 months cannot write with depth.
5.3 The Teacher’s English Level Is a Limitation
→ Even if the Chinese version is strong, nuance can be lost in translation.
5.4 The Teacher Uses a “Reserved” Writing Style
→ Some teachers are used to not overpraising. A moderate sentence like “He is a good student” is not strong enough.
5.5 The Teacher Does Not Have Time to Write in Detail
→ The teacher is writing recommendation letters for 20 students at once and has no time to go deeply into each one.
6. The Special Role of the Counselor Letter
The Counselor is not a subject teacher. They write about the “overall context”:
What the Counselor writes
What the Counselor does not write
Your rank / percentile at school
Your academic depth
Course rigor
Specific papers / projects
Any special circumstance
Academic personality
School context and your position within it
Your personal qualities
Tactic: The Counselor Letter and subject-teacher recommendation letters should complement each other. Subject teachers write depth; the Counselor writes breadth.
7. Other Recommender: Strengthening the Application with a Third Letter
If you expect your subject-teacher recommendation letters to be insufficiently strong, you can consider adding 1 Other Recommender.
7.1 Suitable Other Recommenders
Person
What they strengthen
Research PI (lab head)
Academic depth + research ability
Club Advisor
Leadership + continuity
Coach
Discipline + team spirit
Employer / internship supervisor
Work ethic + impact
7.2 Other Recommenders Also Need a Brag Sheet
Do not assume that a PI / coach does not need a Brag Sheet. Every recommender needs one.
8. “Generic vs. Customized” Letters for 12 Schools
8.1 Generic Recommendation Letters (Most Cases)
The teacher writes 1 generic recommendation letter
Some programs require school- or major-specific recommendation letters:
Scenario
Customization focus
MIT EA
Emphasize STEM depth + research
Wharton business school
Emphasize quantitative ability + leadership
BS/MD 7-Year
Emphasize service + maturity
8.3 The Cost of Customization
Each additional customized recommendation letter requires 1-2 more hours from the teacher. Only ask the teacher to customize when it is truly necessary.
9. “Fatal Words” in Recommendation Letters
Fatal word
Why it is fatal
"Adequate"
The teacher’s evaluation of you is extremely low
"Quiet" / "Reserved"
AOs may read this as “does not like engagement”
"Average"
An immediate death sentence
"Sometimes"
Weakens the sentence
"Tries hard"
“Works hard but lacks ability”
"Hard-working" used alone
No concrete story supporting it → sounds generic
9.1 How Do You Prevent Teachers from Using These Words?
Provide “high-ceiling” stories in the Brag Sheet
Politely remind the teacher: “Please emphasize X rather than Y”
10. The Sweet Spot for Recommendation-Letter Length
Length
AO impression
< 0.5 page
The teacher does not know the student (negative)
0.5-1 page
Neutral
1-1.5 pages
Positive, the standard for a carefully written letter
1.5-2 pages
Strong recommendation
> 2 pages
Too long, may backfire
The more detailed the Brag Sheet, the more easily the teacher can write 1.5-2 pages.
11. How to Track Recommendation-Letter Status
Tool
Purpose
Common App system
Shows whether Counselor / Teacher 1/2 has submitted
Excel sheet
Track each recommender’s status yourself
Email reminders
9/1, 9/15, 10/1, 10/15, etc.
12. Conclusion: A Recommendation Letter Is a “Joint Work by You and Your Teacher”
Over the past 15 years, I have seen too many students assume that they can simply “ask the teacher to write it.” That is wrong. A recommendation letter is a “joint work by you and your teacher”: you provide the story materials, and the teacher integrates, quotes, writes, and signs.
My final reminder to Dr. G. students:
If you want a strong recommendation letter, you must do 3 things well:1. Ask in May of 11th grade, giving the teacher at least 4 months to prepare2. Prepare a detailed 5-8 page Brag Sheet: concrete stories + interactions with the teacher + the 3 main areas you want emphasized3. Proactively follow up in September / October + send a thank-you note after 11/1
A strong recommendation letter is not “luck” - it is “engineering.”The more detailed your Brag Sheet, the stronger the recommendation letter.
