Letters of Recommendation: What To know & What To Do

 

Letters of Recommendation are one of the few places in your college applications that someone who knows you well has the opportunity to bring your strengths, personal qualities and unique characteristics to life. So what do you need to know about teacher recommendations? Read on for our tips to making the most of this aspect of your application –

How many letters should I have?

Most colleges want letters of recommendation from one to two academic teachers and your school counselor.

• To be considered an ‘academic teacher’ – the teacher should have taught you at your high school in a core academic subject – usually considered to include: English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and World Languages.
• Some schools will accept an “other” letter which is a non-academic letter of recommendation. These can come from a teacher who has advised you in a club, taught you in the arts, or been a coach or mentor who knows you well. Not all colleges will accept these.
• Keep the number of recommendations to a minimum. Counselors don’t have time to read extra application materials and often feel that more letters than what is required can dilute the impact of the application.
• The college’s admission website, or the Common Application are good places to check the requirements for your colleges of interest.

When and how should I request letters of recommendation?

We recommend securing your recommenders before the end of 11th grade, whenever possible.

• First, find out what the letter of recommendation requesting process is at your high school – schools sometimes have forms, or specific procedures to follow. Check your school counseling office’s website, or ask your school counselor.
• Approach your two academic teachers from 11th-grade and ask them if they are willing to write your letters. If they say “yes”, thank them! Then ask them what they need from you and what steps you need to take with them.They will let you know if you need to come back in 12th-grade and you should follow any required steps at your school to ‘formalize’ the request.

Who should I ask?

Many colleges prefer to see letters of recommendation from teachers who have taught you recently – in 11th or 12th grade. In some cases, a 10th grade teacher may be appropriate.

• Consider a recommendation from a teacher who has taught you in a subject of interest (a subject related to your college major interests). It can also be good to create balance between the letters: many colleges like to see one letter from a humanities teacher and one from a science or math teacher.
• We encourage you to identify at least one 11th grade teacher.
• Look ahead to your 12th grade classes- is there a course that you are especially excited to take? Or a teacher who you will have for a 2nd time? If so, approach that teacher in the first few weeks of school. Let them know that you are really excited for their course and would really appreciate it if they would be willing to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf. College Admission Readers are accustomed to reading 12th grade letters that share a student’s progress so far, and their potential in the course.

What’s the difference between a teacher recommendation and a counselor recommendation?

A teacher letter of recommendation is intended to provide insight into the student’s academic performance, strengths, insights, and skills in the discipline they teach. In addition, these letters should highlight the student’s contributions to the intellectual community of the classroom, and any character traits that are evident in your work and participation. Teacher letters are generally not the place to report a great deal about your activities, athletics, or community service involvements, unless the teacher has a special relationship to these things.

A counselor letter is intended to describe the student’s strengths, performance and contributions in the context of the school community as a whole or the broader student body.

• A school counselor is uniquely positioned to be an advocate for their students. If you have experienced particular challenges or obstacles in high school that would be helpful for your admissions readers to understand, consider talking with your school counselor about these things so that they can help you determine if this information is helpful to provide in their letter or elsewhere in your college applications.
• Note that each high school has their own approach to managing Counselor Letters – some will write them automatically for each student, and others will submit them only to the colleges that require them. Check with your school counseling office to find out what the approach is at your school.

And no matter what…

Express your gratitude to the teachers and counselors who write letters of recommendation on your behalf! Letters of recommendation are often something ‘extra’ that they do on their own time in the evenings, weekends, or summers. Great teachers and counselors pour tremendous effort and care into their letters, it takes a lot of time, and really great letters can be a crucial factor in an application review. Hand write a note, or send a thoughtful email to convey your appreciation!

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