Admission Requirements

Guidelines for writing a letter of recommendation for prospective Honors College students

Thank you for agreeing to write a letter of evaluation and support for a Limestone University Honors College applicant! These general guidelines are intended to help enhance your recommendation.

Limestone University Honors College Mission Statement:

The mission of the Limestone University Honors College is to provide academically gifted students on the Day Campus with a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum and an engaging learning community that equips them with the knowledge, creativity, and adaptability to thrive and lead.

Upon graduation, a Limestone University Honors College student will be able to: 

1. Defend and critique ideas in both oral and written form; 
2. Recognize and demonstrate the value of service-learning;
3. Identify complex problems and evaluate solutions;
4. Analyze and interpret advanced primary and secondary texts; 
5. Develop a research design and execute research independently or with faculty; 
6. Implement leadership principles in everyday life. 

In your letter, please:

1. Briefly explain your relationship with the applicant: How long have you known them? In what capacity have you interacted (teacher, advisor, supervisor)? 
2. Provide an assessment of the applicant’s suitability for Honors College work and the context for your judgement.
3. Only include detailed information on course grades, GPA, or ACT/SAT scores if you wish to provide context to help us interpret them. They are available elsewhere within the application.
4. Focus on behaviors you have observed directly when describing an applicant’s suitability for our Honors College. If you’d like, tell us a story that describes these behaviors. We are particularly interested in any community or school service the applicant has engaged in.
5. Consider including anything else that you believe the applicant would bring to our Honors College and university, including character traits, talents, and contributions to our school’s diversity (background, personal attributes, experiences).  In other words, anything that makes them ‘special’?
6. Comparison information can also be helpful. If you make comparisons, be sure to include information about the comparison group (students in class with the applicant, students you have encountered in other settings or classes, former employees or co-workers) and your rationale for the comparison.