I am a rising senior and during the summer I decided to take 4 college class. Out of those 4 class I had the same teacher twice. He was my English teacher. I want to ask him for a recommendation for college. I have not decide on a college yet, but I wanted to ask him soon because I might not see him again when the summer end . How should I approach him and what should I give him?
I got an A in class and still have the graded papers.
I am clueless about asking for recommendation letter.
Just cause you had a teacher twice doesnāt make them the perfect candidate to write letters. BUT, if you feel like that teacher knows you well enough to explain why the school you (eventually) will apply to simply MUST have you, then by all means, he might be the one!
When asking for a letter, ask WELL in advance, and as an incoming Senior, even now might be good. DO NOT ask during hectic periods at school, but rather right before breaks or summer vacation. Make sure you give them 2 weeks, and ample time for more before any deadlines.
And how to ask you say? Simple. Walk up to them, and hand them a REVISED RESUME, and either briefly explain or highlight things youād want them to emphasize, such as titles, awards, and anything pertaining to future career interests.
Hand them the resume, which should contain your APs, Honors, any college, clubs, extracurriculars, work, volunteer, etc. Also be sure to offer to send them an email if they like to keep less papers on their desk.
If for some reason you donāt feel comfortable talking with your teacher, then somethingās not right, and that isnāt your ideal choice. Ask someone who knows you and you respect. That, is someone who will write a letter to make you shine.
This is a very long thread and i have not read the whole thing so iām sorry if this is a repeat question.
My question isā¦It is the summer between my Junior and Senior year. Iām trying to get as much done as possible so i was wondering if it would be OK to email the 2 teachers i want to ask for letters of recommendation. The first week or two of school is always chaotic so i imagine it would be a bad time to ask. And because i am considering apply ED, i would only be giving them from mid September to mid October to write the letter. One of the teachers i know very well as she was a teacher of mine, and an adviser. The other teacher i had in 9th grade and will be a teacher of mine in my approaching senior year. She has written me a letter of recommendation in the past for the People to People program i was in. Iām fairly confident they will be willing to do it, and i plan on giving them the materials they need as well as a letter ect, but i want to ask as early as possible. Should i email them now or wait until school?
Hi, senior anxiety just kicked in and although itās 3AM I have a question that I canāt sleep without asking. I was planning on asking my eng and french both of whom Iāve had for 3 yrs but I just remembered that I asked them for a recommendation letter before for a summer program but I forgot to give them thank- you notes. Should I dare ask them knowing that I didnāt give them thank-you notes or updates on the program(that I didnāt go to)?
PS. Iām pretty quiet in classes and those two teacher are the only ones who had some interactions with me and know I performed well in their classes. The other teachers Iāve interacted with and knew of my capability are from fresh/soph yrs because jr yr was a nightmareā¦should I ask them???
Itās worth a try. A lot of teachers donāt check their email during the summer, though, so the effect may be the same.
If you went three years ago, it might be a bit weird now. If it was this summer, go for it. Teachers donāt expect thank-you notes (a rarity today), so you should be fine.
Minhhale, you canāt apply again for RD if you get rejected for ED. However, if you get deferred, then your app will be placed with all the other apps for RD. And no, your teachers donāt have to resend the recs if your app gets deferred.
stanbrown3695
Thank you for the reply. What I meant was that, if you got rejected for the school you applied under ED in mid-December, and then you applied for several schools under RD in Jan, would the teachers have to rewrite and resend the recommendations for those new RD schools?
No. Your teachers can send the exact same rec for all of your schools. Just remember to change the name of the schools and the addresses. Apologies for the misinterpretation.
hey:) So, i am thinking about asking for RECs during the school year. i have one slight problem since my school has two different campuses 15 min. away from each other in which the freshman and sophomore class are in one building and the other two classes in a different campus. i have three teachers from the freshman and sophomore class I know very well (talked to them about AP/business classes before going into junior year). Do you guys think it would be okay if I sent them an email to remind them I would like letter of recs from them? If so, what should I bring when I visit them againācopy of college essays, one or two excellent term papers, notes about organizations they had advised, or why i would like to apply to the schools iām going to and what i will major in.
In addition, I would like to apply for an accounting major for the six schools I will apply to. If I have three letter of recs from three different teachersādo I have to ask each of them to write SIX letters??? Sorry, for the second question (if thereās any confusion, I will be glad to reword it once I have a reply)
Anyways, its much more polite to physically ask, hand a resume, have a nice little chat about the past few years, and thank them. You can offer to email a resume to them if theyāre inundated by papers after meeting. Youāre askung them to rake time to sway your future- the last that an be done is pay a visit. As for resume, its exactly what it sounds. APs, extracurriculars, awards, etc. Dont list grades or SATs, list relevant things.
And as for 6 lettersā¦ Applying to six schools is a LOT of schools (but somewhat understandable). So yes, if the school ASKS for letters of rec, expect 18 copies, or less if they donāt want three.
One science teacher who retired the year after I had her, sure she wrote a great rec, she offered to write me more if I needed something. Only problem is, she tutored me at one time - is that ok?
One math teacher who likes me, thinks Iām smart, I did well in his class and ok on the AP test. I need a math teacher for certain apps, so . . .
My science research teacher who has written recommendations for a summer program for me before. I asked the Yale admissions people if she counted as a core rec, and they said yes. (i.e. Itās not studio art, itās science, so thatās fine) Do you think most colleges would agree?
My english teacher who was also the advisor for a club. When I started asking him he said he was wondering when I would ask for one, and that he was looking forward to writing it, told my mom the same thing when he met her, so thatās definite.
Whoās an ideal teacher for a recommendation. I highly doubt that any teacher has taught a student for 4 years. 3 is very rare and even 2 is rare. Should emphasis be placed on teacher - student relationship so the teacher has known the student for 3-4 years and taught for 1-2?
^ Iāve had a teacher for 5 and anither for 4. But yes, its rare.
Time doesnāt mean you bond excellently. I have a teacher for 3 years I abhor, but a semester long one has been a great supporter.
Look for someone who KNOWS you or your driving forces. Someone who will tell you about interns in your field. A teacher that talked with you more than just the curriculum. My brother used a teacher he didnāt even have, but had similar interests. You be the judge- of your teachers, who knows YOU best?
When I apply for college, my Japanese teacher will have had me for 3 years, more than any other teacher in the school, so Iām pretty sure Iāll be asking her. But who else? Are English teachers good to ask because theyā¦ know how to write? What about a math teacher that loved me, even though I donāt like math and wonāt be majoring in it?
How do you ask retired teachers for recs?
my couselor just retired during the end of my jr year and this year Iāll have a counselor who has been at the middle school. I know my ex-counselor would write me a great rec but I donāt know how to approach her because I donāt have any of her contact information. Furthermore, I donāt know if a retired counselor is allowed to fill out the counselor sheet and how to do all of this without offending the new counselor. ADVICES GREATLY APPRECIATED!
^CSIHSIS
I had my Japanese teacher for five years, and weāve got to know each other well, but thats not an automatic qualifier. It foesnāt matter the subject; it matters who. For you, Sensei might work, but there might be a science or history teacher too.
^^runmc
Absolutely retired teachers are good! Theyāll be willing to spend more time to help students (its why they became a teacher in the first place!). Ask other teachers or the office for an email and perhaps you can send a message or have a little reunion.
