Recommendation letters are often an essential component of college applications, scholarship applications, and even job applications. Recommendation letters can come from your counselor, an administrator, a teacher, a coach, a supervisor, or someone who knows you well. Generally speaking, recommendation letters should not be written by a family member. Most of the time, school counselors are asked to write recommendation letters for college application purposes. If you need a recommendation letter, follow these general directions.
Determine if a recommendation letter is actually needed. Do not assume or guess. If a college doesn't require a letter, you can determine if you want to send a letter or not. It may be optional. Some colleges may not even accept letters of recommendation so it's important to confirm before asking someone to write a letter on your behalf.
You've determined that you need a recommendation letter. Who needs to write it? Some colleges may want a letter from a counselor or a teacher. If the college says that either is appropriate, you need to decide whom you want to ask. It is courteous to give someone at least two weeks notice when asking for a recommendation letter. Do not wait until the last minute to ask. You may not get a quality letter as a result.
You've asked someone to write a letter on your behalf. Do you have a resume you can give them? Counselors and teachers have specific knowledge of you as a student. We may not know the intricacies of your life that make you who you are. Giving a counselor or a teacher a copy of your resume will help them add more color to your recommendation letter. There is no single best format for a resume. If you need help with his, ask your school counselor or the career coach.
If you want your school counselor to write a recommendation letter, please complete the online FDHS Counselor Recommendation Form, which will greatly help your school counselor write a quality recommendation letter for you.
Determine how the college will get your recommendation letter. If you are using a college's online application form, you may have to input the recommendation letter writer's email address and they will then receive an online recommendation form allowing them to upload your recommendation letter electronically. This is also true if you are using Common Application or Coalition Application. It's also possible that the college will want you to have Fort Defiance send the recommendation letter with your high school transcript. If that is the case, you need to tell your letter writer to give your recommendation letter to your school counselor AND what deadline you are using to submit your college application. For example, if you are applying to a college by a January 1st deadline, you would tell your letter writer to return your recommendation letter to your school counselor before January 1st. If the letter is being written for a scholarship or an employer, you will want to work out the details with the letter writer or your school counselor.
Thank your letter writer. While not required, the appropriate behavior is to thank anyone who takes time to write a recommendation letter on your behalf. Recommendation letters can be time consuming and are not a contracted activity for teachers and counselors. You will learn an important life skill (gratitude) if you take the time to write a brief note of thanks to anyone who recommends you to a college, scholarship, and/or employer.