I graduated from high school in 2013 and will be applying for transfer from CC to a 4-year unviersity for the spring 2017 semester. A few of the colleges I plan on applying to want 3 letters of recommendation. Admittedly, it’s been difficult to really form relationships with CC professors despite getting good grades. I feel comfortable enough asking maybe 1 or 2 professors, but I feel that a lot of my high school teachers would be able to give much better, more personal letters of recommendation for me. Would it be bad to go back to one or two of them? I plan on asking at least one professor from college, even if I do get LoCs from high school teachers.
Honestly, it looks bad for you to ask your high school teachers to write you a letter of recommendation. I mean you graduated in 2013, thats 3 years ago… People change drastically especially in the first few years of college. And in my opinion, saying it is hard to get to know your professor is a poor excuse in the eyes of the admission officer, because you could have easily stopped by the professor’s office hours just a few times in the semester to get to know a professor.
Just ask a professor that you received good grades in. If they don’t remember you, they will just search up your grades and surely write a good letter because you did well in their class (just remember to include what class and semester you were in his/her class in). It’s not like the professors are out to get you! They will try to help you as much as possible if they feel like you even slightly deserve it.
Do you think even 1 out of 3 from a high school teacher would be bad? I feel like at the very least I could paint a good picture of my development/progress overtime, Thanks for the honesty!
If you had just graduated high school a year ago it might not be too bad, but 2013 was three years ago. It’d probably look bad.
If a prof doesn’t know you well they’ll probably just be vague in their letter. It’s not ideal but it’s probably better than a high school teacher. Try going to office hours for some profs whose classes you did well in.
I would not go back to ask anyone from HS. If I was in Admissions, I honestly would take it as a negative and wonder why you couldn’t find anyone who had more recent dealings with you.
Just ask three of your CC professors. It doesn’t have to be from the ones who gave you the highest grades either. It could even be one for a class that you struggled a little bit in. Just pick professors who you think know you and your work the best. Obviously, if you do get to know professors at their office hours, this will make things much easier for both you and them!
get letters from CC instructors. or possibly dept heads or administrators with whom you might have a better relationship. they will expect you to have left HS behind by now.
Email these CC profs a summary of your interests and accomplishments in bullet form. If you are writing a personal statement for your application, you could send that to them, too. It is easier for profs to write letters when you help them out with some relevant details.