Knight-Hennessy Recommendation Letters

The Five Recommender Prompts

KHS doesn't ask for a generic letter. It gives recommenders specific questions to answer, and your recommenders need to see them beforehand. For the 2027 cohort the five prompts are:

1. 1
   Explain your relationship with the applicant

   How and how well they know you. KHS wants recommenders who have interacted with you closely, extensively and recently.

2. 2
   How does the applicant demonstrate intellectual curiosity and creativity?

   Specific examples of original thinking, intellectual curiosity, or willingness to challenge conventions — your independence of thought.

3. 3
   How does the applicant take initiative to achieve meaningful results?

   Not just “they led a team.” Specific stories about why you led, how you inspired others, and what purpose drove your leadership.

4. 4
   How does the applicant act in service of others?

   Evidence of caring about something bigger than yourself: community service, advocacy, mentorship, or any form of contribution to others.

5. 5
   Any additional information, positive or negative

   KHS genuinely wants an honest picture, including areas for growth. A recommender who says “they have no weaknesses” is doing you a disservice. Honest, constructive observations are valued.

The Nine-Characteristic Rating Grid

In addition to the written responses, recommenders rate you on nine characteristics. The committee uses this alongside the qualitative letter. The characteristics are:

The trait names are KHS’s own; the one-line glosses are ours.

Who to Ask

Recommenders can come from academic, community or professional contexts, and should be people who have interacted with you closely, extensively and recently.

Good recommender choices

• A supervisor who's seen your leadership firsthand
• A peer or colleague who can speak to your character
• A mentor from community work or volunteering
• A professor who knows you beyond the classroom
• Someone who's seen you in a moment of difficulty

Poor recommender choices

• Family members (explicitly prohibited)
• Famous people who barely know you
• People who will write generic praise
• The same recommenders as your Stanford application
• Anyone who can't provide specific stories

The peer recommender option

Because KHS accepts recommenders from professional and community contexts, not only supervisors and professors, a peer can be a strong choice — a colleague, a co-founder, a fellow volunteer, someone who knows you as an equal rather than a subordinate. These letters often provide the most authentic picture of who you are day to day. If you have someone who's worked alongside you on something meaningful, consider them seriously.

Should you use the same recommenders for KHS and Stanford?

Ideally, no. KHS wants to hear about your leadership, character, and civic engagement. Your Stanford program wants to hear about your academic potential and professional readiness. Different recommenders can speak to different aspects of who you are. If you must overlap, make sure the letters themselves are different — a recommender should tailor their letter to what each application is actually asking. KHS normally reviews only its own letters, though it may occasionally ask to see your graduate program letters.

What the committee is actually looking for and how they evaluate the trifecta. Selection criteria guide →