Recommendations are Important
When your guidance counselor tells you that no part of your college application
is more important than another; they are right and wrong. So what exactly
does this mean? It means that college admissions are more competitive today
than they have ever been before. This means that colleges need to look closely
at each segment of a student’s application to differentiate between
students. At the same time, this means forgetting to pay close attention
to one segment can be detrimental to your chances of being accepted. It also
means that your letter of recommendation has nearly the same weight as your
GPA, as your SAT score, your extracurricular activities, and your personal
essay (to a certain extent).
Teachers are My Friends
Assuming you have a good relationship with your teachers, you have your foot
in the door to a great letter of recommendation. Traditionally, schools would
like you to have two recommendations: one from the Math/Science department
and one from the English/History (social science/humanities) department.
If you are applying to specialized schools, then you may consider obtaining
recommendations from sports coaches, music teachers, or past employers. Just
make sure that you use those two recommendations to their full capacity – they
should highlight different aspects of you as a student and person. That being
said, they should both paint a positive picture of you and they should definitely
not contradict each other.
I Need Some Teachers to be My Friends
If you feel that you are not close enough to any of your teachers to really
inspire a great recommendation letter, do not fear because there is still
time as long as you are willing to make an effort. Start by talking a lot
more to your teachers. Go to them after class with questions and build a
casual relationship by asking them how their day is going. Once you have
past this first barrier and can say “Hi” to them in the hallways,
you are ready for the second step. Hopefully there is more to you as a person
than your name and the grades that that teacher gives you. You need to convey
this to your teacher as well. Set up a meeting time with you teacher to chat.
In most cases, teachers are delighted to get to know their students. You
can use these conversations to get to know if your teacher would be the best
person to write you a recommendation (Do they respond to your questions with
interest? Do they like you?) and also to let your teacher know what kind
of a person you are (What kind of college do you want to attend? What are
your career goals? What are your personal goals?).
Once you have chosen the teachers that you feel the best fit with, ask them
politely if they will write you a letter of recommendation for college. Obviously,
because of your charm and hard work, they will agree to do so with pleasure.
By now, you should have a list of your extracurricular activities that you
should give to the teacher. Also, it is best to give them a short list of some
qualities, projects, or work that you would like them to highlight. If you
have an educational resume – use it instead.
Check the Box: Waive Your Rights to the Recommendation
MAKE SURE you check the box allowing the teacher’s recommendation to
be confidential. Many teachers feel uncomfortable writing recommendations for
students who want access to them in the future. Teachers want to tell the truth
about you and if you just ask them beforehand whether or not they feel comfortable
writing you a positive recommendation, they will tell you. Teachers who do
not feel comfortable writing a strong recommendation will let you know and
you can ask other teachers. So stop worrying! From there on, it’s smooth
sailing! Make sure you thank them afterwards and write them a thank you card.
If you want to be classy, avoid the Hallmark and supermarket aisle thank you
cards and use a set of blank thank you cards.
