(Source: Kenyon College)They're an afterthought, right? Those pesky letters of recommendation no one reads. They all paint glowing pictures of students with impeccable study habits, multiple extracurricular interests and laudable social skills.

Not always. In fact, a small percentage are actually negative, albeit sometimes accidentally so. Others are generic enough to be construed as negative. The point here? Take those recommendation letters seriously, and choose teachers most likely to speak to specifics.

Consider this from USA Today:

A letter can determine a student's fate. "Homogeneity among applicants makes it difficult to discriminate in a highly selective pool. The letters provide an independent view," says Ann Wright, vice president for enrollment at Rice University in Houston. "It can make all the difference in the world."

[...] [M]ost recommendations are positive, even glowing. But admissions deans estimate that 5% to 10% are negative or damn an applicant with faint praise.

Academic record and test scores remain the most important factors in admission, but recommendations, along with the student essay, are next in importance, according to a survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "A student's grade point average and test scores don't tell you who is a joy to teach," Britz says. "A recommendation does."

To avoid possible retribution from parents, admissions deans say counselors and teachers sometimes temper their criticism or couch it in code phrases such as "the student works to the best of his ability."

"Thirty years ago, a letter might have said that Johnny is not a nice person, whereas today the letter might say that Johnny does not have many friends," says Lee Stetson, dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania.Read more here.