What should you put in a brag sheet for a college recommender?

Give the recommender facts and reminders they can use: your class or relationship, specific work, relevant growth, deadlines, and submission instructions. A useful brag sheet helps them recall evidence. It should not be a letter written in their voice or a list of praise they are expected to repeat.

Start with logistics the recommender can act on

Put your name, the course or relationship, the earliest deadline, and the submission process near the top. Follow any questionnaire your school or teacher already provides. Sending a separate elaborate packet can create extra work if they have a preferred format.

Use one clear deadline table if several colleges are involved. Distinguish a school’s internal request deadline from a college’s published deadline. If something changes, communicate the change explicitly rather than quietly replacing the file.

Include evidence they actually observed

• A project, paper, discussion, or problem they may remember.
• An example of how you used feedback.
• A specific contribution to the class or group.
• A challenge in the work and the adjustment you made.
• A question or interest you continued exploring.

For a teacher, class-specific examples are usually more useful than a complete résumé of activities they never saw. A counselor may need broader school and personal context. Tailor the packet to the person’s relationship with you.

Write reminders rather than self-ratings

Vague fictional note: “I am exceptionally resilient and one of the best leaders in the class.” More useful note: “After feedback on my first lab report, I revised the explanation of the control group and brought a comparison of both versions to office hours.”

The second note gives the teacher something concrete to recall and evaluate independently. Do not tell them which superlative to use or claim a class ranking you cannot verify. If an example occurred outside their view, label it as context you are sharing rather than something they personally witnessed.

Keep sensitive context optional and purposeful

Share personal circumstances only when they are relevant and you are comfortable doing so. You can tell a recommender what you would prefer they not disclose. A private conversation may be better than placing detailed family information in a widely shared document.

End with any requested college interests or goals, using current uncertainty honestly. You do not need a fixed career plan to provide useful context. Keep the packet short enough to scan and offer to answer questions. The final judgment and wording of the recommendation belong to the recommender.