<p>Hi everyone!
I'm a junior this year and was thinking about college applications next year and started thinking about recommendation letters. Several schools I'm interested in require teacher recommendations. There are two teachers I know I'd want to ask because I like them. However, I'm very shy and don't participate much in class because I don't like speaking in front of so many people. For example, when we have Socratic seminars in English I never speak because I'm so timid. The several times I've tried to talk my heart races and my hands get all clammy. But when we have discussions in small groups of four or five people I'm fine. Anyways, I really like two of my teachers, but I don't know how to get good recommendations when I'm too shy to contribute in class or build a relationship with my teachers. Does anyone have any advice on how to make a better image of myself for my teachers and overcoming shyness in general? </p>
<p>Perhaps you might be comfortable talking with some of your teachers one on one rather than in a classroom setting. and you could develop more of a connection that way. Do they have hours for extra help? You could go even if your grades are fine and ask about a topic you are interested in learning more about outside of class. </p>
<p>You could try joining service clubs or activities that some of the teachers might oversee, so they would have a chance to get to know you better outside of class(this would also be a great way to connect with other students with whom you would have something in common).</p>
<p>One of my daughters is very shy and these strategies worked for her, she had no problems getting great recommendation letters. </p>
<p>@mamag2855 Thank you for your response! My APES teacher sponsors the Eco club which I’m in. I might try to get a leadership position in it. And I’ll definitely start going to ask my teachers questions before tests and whatnot in order to start interacting with them more often.</p>
<p>Maybe go to them one day and ask them to help read over an essay you have written or a short story you wrote. If you are getting a recommendation from them, I assume you are doing well in the class, so I am sure they will be able to write good things about you even if you are shy. If you have any creative prowess, do well on those type of projects, and be one of the first to volunteer if they need one. Do you have any shared background? If so, you can just strike up a casual conversation with them that way, not even related to school, and you can bring up parts of yourself that your teacher may not otherwise know about you.</p>
<p>Not all the interactions have to occur in the classroom</p>
<p>@shawnspencer I would like to state that I appreciate your profile picture.</p>
<p>@Teyrkis Thanks! I was pretty psyched out about it myself</p>
<p>I heard that one of the teachers I want to ask for a letter from might be retiring after this year. What should I do then? I feel like asking this for a letter this year is a little too early. I’d ask for a letter at the very beginning of my senior year. </p>
<p>You could probably ask this teacher before the end of this school year, if they decide to retire. If they would be willing to write a rec letter for you in the fall, they should still be able to load a letter to the common app. You would need email address/contact info. for the teacher for the rec. letter invitation process on the common app.</p>
<p>Thanks 
@mamag2855 </p>
<p>Most teachers prefer if you ask them sometime this year, preferably sooner rather than later. That way they have the whole summer to think/write about it. I had one teacher that was incredibly popular, so she said that she wouldn’t be writing more than 20 or so letters so she told us that we should ask her by mid February/March. By that time, they have a good idea of who you are and if they say no, you still have time to get alternative options</p>
<p>Thanks @shawnspencer I’m thinking about asking my PreCal teacher. She’s not really good at teaching… But she’s very smart and nice. I’ve been going to her before school to try and get one-on-one help. She had my brother 4 years ago so she recognized my name on the first day of school, and now that I’ve been going to her for help more frequently she’s starting to take more notice of me. Math has always been my hardest subject, and I really want to take AP Calc AB next year (which she teaches, but she’s retiring). So I plan on mentioning my interest in that and getting help from her. Maybe she’ll notice that I have a lot of drive to take the class and succeed in it, and she can help me along the way. </p>