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Writing Letters of Recommendation
Writing Letters of Recommendation
Woo hoo! A student has asked you to write them a letter of recommendation for college...now what?
Recommender Steps:
1.) Confirm with the student if you will write the letter.
2.) All Letters of Recommendation should be completed by Monday October 20th 2025.
2.) College 12 students complete a teacher request form with more information about themselves. The responses will be shared with you as a recommender. You can use your own method if you wish instead, HERE is an example form you can use!
3.) Write your letter. Upload it into Naviance using your teacher account (Reach out to Ms. Archer if you don't have one!). Students who have identified you as the recommender should appear on the page.
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College Counselor Tips: The Do's and Don'ts
DO: Plan to write a general letter for student's applications. (ex. Not to a specific named university)
DO: Include personal anecdotes or memories that stand out to you with this student. The more detailed and tailored to the student, the better! Any info that is not already on their application is best.
DO: Ask students for more information if you need it. It is okay to have them complete a form or send you a resume for more context and details.
DON'T: Write a specific letter for a student. (Don't include a college name or specific program name in the letter- Keep it general.)
DON'T: Overcommit yourself! Student's know adults at SACS want to support them. If you have 20+ requests coming your way, connect with a College Counselor for support. It is okay to have a limit or take requests on a first-come first-serve basis.
DON'T: Wait until the last minute! Teacher letters of rec are due on Monday October 20th 2025. This is in preparation for early action college deadlines.
Helpful Links:
Questbridge Resources for recommenders
LOR Workshop Slides: University of Chicago slideshow with tips for recommendation writing.
How To Write a Letter of Recommendation: Article from Indeed.com and image right.
Resources for College, Career, and Academic Conversations:
Feel free to also direct students to the "Study Skills" tab on this website!
GROW model worksheet - Use this worksheet to help students identify their overall goal, what challenges they may encounter, and how they can push through to reach their goal successfully.
Schedule Planner & To-Do list. Use this resource to have students plan out their week and to-do items for classes. They can identify WHAT they need to do and also WHEN they will do it.
HBCU Map: Interactive map showing locations of all Historically Black Colleges & Universities by HBCU First.
Digital/Online Resources:
The Study Cycle. - Use this webpage to help students think about their own study cycle. This can help them identify the goal of their study session and the strategies that help them be successful.
Career One Stop - Website with career search features, self-assessments, and more.
Upper School Resources:
My Study Strategies. Use this worksheet to help students identify which study strategies will help them in their classes. You can also use these strategies to suggest which may be useful for your class assessments and projects.
Check out the College Counseling office bulletin board outside LC3 for free printed worksheets!
College Simply - Use this tool if you would like to search for schools with students or see a school's information.
Math SAT Lesson Plans & Reading, Writing, & Language SAT Lesson Plans: Free lesson plans in Kahn Academy for teachers, by teachers. Lessons are designed for 45-minutes and can help students prepare for the SAT exam. "Twenty hours spent practicing on Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy is associated with an average 115-point score gain on the SAT"
Advanced Placement Career Options: Flyers for a variety of AP classes, showing examples of careers that use class material.
Lower School Resources:
STEM career kids coloring book activity Students can choose a STEM career kid to read about and color in or design their own! Take it one step further and have them research the career that their character has.
Virtual College Tours: YouVisit & The College Tour. YouVisit is self guided while The College Tour is in video format.
College Savings Calculator: This allows students to calculate how much they can save for college even starting at 6th grade.
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