Recommendation Letters

Teacher Letter of Recommendation 

Students are responsible for communicating with a teacher about any specific requirements for the colleges to which they are applying. Teachers will typically upload their letter of recommendation to an application portal on the student's behalf. 

Now that we are back to in-person school, it's best to request a letter of recommendation from a teacher IN PERSON. Make an appointment with your teacher to meet them before or after school (NOT in the last few minutes of class!) to request a letter face-to-face. Be prepared to share with your teacher WHY you have selected this specific teacher and how their class has impacted you. Keep in mind that some teachers have their own process for letter of recommendation requests from students: if teachers have a specific process, follow it. If teachers don't have a process, it's still important to ask in person

Letters of recommendation carry varying weight, depending on the perspective of the college or university. More selective colleges may ask for multiple recommendation letters. Questions abound: Who should you ask? What are they used for? Where do they go? When should you ask? Why are they important? And, how do you prepare your recommenders to write the best letter possible? Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about letters of rec.

Who? Letters of recommendation are most powerful when they are written by people who know you well.  Typically students ask someone who teaches a core subject (English, math, science, social studies,  or world language) and taught them recently. Be mindful that you can also ask an elective teacher, a coach, or even your manager at work to write you a letter. The key is finding someone who knows you well can speak to your character.  We recommend that you prioritize:

1. Asking someone who knows you well and actually likes you - MOST IMPORTANT 

2. Someone who taught you recently

3. Someone who teaches a core subject*

*Important note: Some colleges require or recommend that students submit recommendations from teachers in certain subject areas. Be sure you double check that.

Overall, think of it this way — it won’t help the college get to know you if your recommender doesn’t know you.

What? Since most letters of recommendation are glowing and full of praise, colleges that take them seriously are trying to get beneath the surface of who you are. The letters that share personal anecdotes about you reveal the less tangible qualities that a college can’t deduce from grades and test scores. A well-written letter of recommendation will showcase your abilities and make you a more compelling candidate. That said, there is an expression in the biz: “Letters of rec can heal the sick, not raise the dead”. Remember that this is one piece of a larger puzzle.

Where? It’s likely that most, if not all, of your schools will request that letters of recommendation are sent electronically. Teachers are responsible for uploading theirs and counselors responsible for uploading theirs. Follow directions carefully and don’t send more than a college requests. Note that colleges who participate in the Common Application detail how many letters of recommendation they require and how many they allow from teachers and non-teachers.

When? It is best to ask teachers in the spring of junior year if they are willing and able to write a letter on your behalf. If they say “yes”, THANK THEM…then ask them about their preferred timelines. Some teachers like to take care of the letters over the summer and others want a true summer vacation. If you have colleges with early deadlines (October 15 and November 1), make sure you provide your recommenders with at least a month’s time to write the letters.

Why? Letters of recommendation and essays are the two most powerful subjective characteristics of a student’s application. Think about it, if two students present similar statistics (grades and test scores) and colleges need to accept just one of the students, letters of recommendation can often be the critical tipping factor. Colleges want to know how a student has contributed to the classroom, are they respectful of others’ opinions, do they reach out to help their peers, are they leaders in class discussions and group projects, etc.

How? The more information you provide your recommender, the better the letter will be. We suggest that you prepare a separate email for your recommender that details some of the following items: why their class was memorable, what your favorite projects/assignments were, what you took away from their class, how you tried to contribute to the class, etc. You can also provide them with related information like: extracurricular activities or summer involvements, etc. Please do not give them a copy of your Counselor Rec Packet; those questions allow your counselor to highlight who you are as a person. It is your teacher’s job to highlight what you are like as a student. Plus, if you give your teacher your Counselor Rec Packet - their letter will include the same information as your counselor -- which defeats the purpose.

Must Do’s:

• Be certain to waive your right to view recommendation letters on your application forms. Admission officers will trust them more if you haven’t seen them.

• Send a confirmation email to your recommenders thanking them for agreeing to write your letter of recommendation and being specific about next steps.

• Send thank you notes next year. This will show the recommender how appreciative you are…or remind them nicely that they still need to submit something on your behalf.