Gaining acceptance to the college of your choice is hard work, but well worth your efforts in the end. One of the tasks at hand is obtaining a couple of solid letters of recommendation (LOR) from your teachers. Here's how you should go about it:
1. Go to your guidance counselor first. The procedure is different in every school and you want to make sure that you go about it the right way. Find out if your school does the letter submitting as part of sending your transcripts, or if you'll be asking your teacher to do it. You'll want to make it as easy as possible for your teacher, who likely will be writing for many students each year.
2. Decide which of your teachers knows you the best. (If you can't think of any, start building a relationship now!) Every LOR should tell a detailed story about the candidate, so it makes sense that you need to go to the teacher who can highlight your positive traits that serve you well in their class. One of your letters should come from one of your core (English, math, foreign language, science or social studies) teachers, so consider which class you have contributed the most to. A letter from your coach or music instructor might be a good extra, but remember that colleges are mainly for academia.
3. Timing is everything. Remember that your teachers have lives outside of the classroom, so be courteous about holidays and time off. In other words, don't request a LOR from them just before a school break. Also, take note of the timing of finals and projects and be sensitive when they will be busy with grading duties. Start with your college deadlines and then back your request up by a couple months.
4. You're ready to ask - in person. Put your nerves on the back burner and be mature as you ask this of your teacher. They consider writing a LOR as part of their job, so be confident as you ask for their help. Do not use email or voicemail and rehearse your question until you are comfortable with it. If you've chosen the right teacher, your compliments about their impact on your studies will come off as natural and not brown-nosing. That's good! Give the teacher credit for bringing out the best in you and point out the challenges that he or she has seen you face in the classroom.
5. After you pose your request and the teacher has accepted, hand over a folder with everything needed to complete the task. It should include your school resume, your contact information, the appropriate recommendation form for each college that you will apply to, self-addressed/stamped envelopes (or a plain envelope for your high school guidance office if that's the method from your school) and a thank-you note for their time spend. Also, you should include your personal statement and statement of purpose (directions for which can be found on the internet.)
Your teachers will put a lot of thought into the letters they write and you should reward their efforts by staying in touch. Share the good news when you get your acceptance letter and drop by the school to share learning experiences.
1. Go to your guidance counselor first. The procedure is different in every school and you want to make sure that you go about it the right way. Find out if your school does the letter submitting as part of sending your transcripts, or if you'll be asking your teacher to do it. You'll want to make it as easy as possible for your teacher, who likely will be writing for many students each year.
2. Decide which of your teachers knows you the best. (If you can't think of any, start building a relationship now!) Every LOR should tell a detailed story about the candidate, so it makes sense that you need to go to the teacher who can highlight your positive traits that serve you well in their class. One of your letters should come from one of your core (English, math, foreign language, science or social studies) teachers, so consider which class you have contributed the most to. A letter from your coach or music instructor might be a good extra, but remember that colleges are mainly for academia.
3. Timing is everything. Remember that your teachers have lives outside of the classroom, so be courteous about holidays and time off. In other words, don't request a LOR from them just before a school break. Also, take note of the timing of finals and projects and be sensitive when they will be busy with grading duties. Start with your college deadlines and then back your request up by a couple months.
4. You're ready to ask - in person. Put your nerves on the back burner and be mature as you ask this of your teacher. They consider writing a LOR as part of their job, so be confident as you ask for their help. Do not use email or voicemail and rehearse your question until you are comfortable with it. If you've chosen the right teacher, your compliments about their impact on your studies will come off as natural and not brown-nosing. That's good! Give the teacher credit for bringing out the best in you and point out the challenges that he or she has seen you face in the classroom.
5. After you pose your request and the teacher has accepted, hand over a folder with everything needed to complete the task. It should include your school resume, your contact information, the appropriate recommendation form for each college that you will apply to, self-addressed/stamped envelopes (or a plain envelope for your high school guidance office if that's the method from your school) and a thank-you note for their time spend. Also, you should include your personal statement and statement of purpose (directions for which can be found on the internet.)
Your teachers will put a lot of thought into the letters they write and you should reward their efforts by staying in touch. Share the good news when you get your acceptance letter and drop by the school to share learning experiences.
About the Author:
Ellen Spencer is an adult education teacher who advises her students on online degrees and online college programs for working adults.
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