最近，我参加了一些招生改革座谈会，来讨论下一年处理申请时可能出现的变动。有好几个招生委员会，并不是说所有的招生委员会都会改革，只是在审理过程中可能会有一些轻微的变动（例如也许是PS要求方面的一些改变）。暑期结束我会在博客上更新这些信息。

这些座谈会使我想起了去年冬天审理的申请。我想借去年的案例给接下来的申请者提供一些长期规划的建议。

首先请注意，我们的网申系统现在是关闭的。每年申请截止日期过后，我们会关闭网申系统，每年11月份会再次开通。我们计划今后9月1日开启网申系统。当然不是说你现在不能开始准备。接下来的几个月，我会大量发布一些关于如何组合申请材料使你的申请脱颖而出的相关文章。

首先我强烈建议你谨慎考虑请谁做你的推荐人。在申请中，推荐信是一项非常重要的材料。我的建议是在申请日期截止之前几个月联系推荐人，请他们将你的推荐信事宜记上日程。长时间深思熟虑后写出来的推荐信要远远胜于匆匆忙忙写的推荐信。

推荐信最好要同时介绍申请者过去和未来，并且将哈佛大学肯尼迪学院招生委员会比较重视的一些问题都描述出来。我们希望所有的推荐信都能描述申请者的过去经历。但是真正优秀的推荐信不仅描述过去经历，而且也应该展望未来。能够提供给你推荐人足够资料推荐你入学的最好方式是多一些沟通交流。

从逻辑上来说，我建议你在截至日期前几个月与推荐人联系让他们帮你写推荐信。第一次交流比较简短，其目的是询问他/她是否愿意帮你写推荐信，与此同时，提前定好下次交流的时间，一个月或者更长时间。
在第一次交流后，你需要给推荐人发信息，加深他对你的印象，以便顺利的进行第二次谈话。给他发一份你当前的简历以及一些具体的信息阐述你准备去哈佛大学肯尼迪学院学什么。

在接下来的交流中，我建议你们讨论你未来的目标，以及哈佛大学肯尼迪学院如何帮助你实现这些目标。另外，也要说明肯尼迪学院录取委员会对学生的领导能力和公共服务意识尤其感兴趣。优秀的推荐信一般包括你之前经历和能力的总结，以及对你领导力和公共服务意识的未来体现。

在第二次交流后，我建议将准备申请使用的个人陈述给推荐人发一份。你的所有申请材料集在一起应该像在讲述一个故事，而在写作之前提前让推荐人阅读你的个人陈述会让你的申请看起来更协调和完整。
下一次的交流可以在申请截止之前的几周，这次主要是提醒推荐人申请的截止日期以及确认推荐的信提交方法。接下来的文章我会详细阐述推荐信提交的技术性细节。一旦申请截止，你的申请完成以后，我建议你要向推荐人表达你的感激之情。

总之，在这里我建议多和推荐人沟通。尽早联系推荐人，并且进行几次交流来确保提交一份高质量的推荐信。

未来我们审理推荐信时，也会从其他方面考虑，比如推荐人以及提交推荐信的方式等。

与此同时，也附上英文原版文章。

Recently I have participated in a few Admissions Committee Working Group meetings to discuss possible changes to the application process in the coming year. There are several committees and not all will be making changes, but some slight changes are in the works (maybe personal statement changes for example) and I will post updates to this blog as things take shape over the summer.

The meetings have caused me to reflect upon the applications I read during the winter and I want to use some posts to offer some long term planning advice for those applying in the future.

I will start by noting that our application is currently not online. We take the application down after the deadline passes and the deadline was back in November. Our plan is to have the application open again on September 1st. This does not mean that applicants cannot start preparing now. In the coming months a large number of posts will focus on how you can put together the most compelling application possible.

One thing I highly recommend doing right now is thinking carefully about the individuals you will select to write letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are an important part of our review process and my advice starts with contacting the individuals you will choose many months before the deadline. Contacting these individuals early will allow them to put the submission of your letter on their calendar. Letters written in a rush are likely to not be of the same quality as those that are thought out over a long period of time.

The best letters of recommendation also tie the past and future together and mention qualities valued by the HKS Admissions Committee. We expect all letters of recommendation to include details on the past, but outstanding letters look beyond the past and provide commentary on the potential of an applicant. The best way to provide your recommender with the information needed to write a compelling letter is to have several substantive conversations or exchanges over a period of time.

This process will logically start with your request for the letter and I would recommend contacting those you will be asking to write your letters several months ahead of the deadline. The first exchange can be short and the main purpose is to find out if he or she can write a letter for you. During the first conversation I recommend setting up a follow up appointment a month or so later.

After this first appointment or conversation you should send information to the recommender that jogs his or her memory and sets the stage for your next conversation. Send along a current copy of your resume and some specific information about what you hope to study at HKS.

During the next exchange I recommend discussing your future goals and how HKS will help you to achieve them. It would also be wise to mention that the HKS Admissions Committee is particularly interested in comments that relate to leadership and public service. Compelling letters of recommendation include previous examples of these qualities along with commentary about leadership and public service potential.

After the second meeting or exchange, I would encourage you to send the recommender a draft of the personal statement you will submit with your application. All of the parts of your application combined should tell a story and having your recommender read your personal statement in advance of writing your letter of recommendation will likely lend cohesion to your application.

The next exchange with the recommender can take place several weeks before the deadline. This interaction can serve as a final reminder of the deadline and help to ensure the recommender knows how the letter should be submitted. I will go into the technical details of letter submission in a future entry. Once the deadline passes and your application is complete, I recommend thanking those who took the time to write your letters.

In sum, my advice in this entry is to have an extended conversation with your recommendation letter writers. Contacting letter writers early and having several exchanges over time will help to ensure a high quality letter that is submitted on time.

In the future look for entries on other aspects of the letter of recommendation process, including who to ask and the technical aspects involved in submitting the letters.