I’m a junior and I’ve started to think about teacher recs for college. I was thinking of my history teacher whose class I really like but she does not give out too many recs because everyone always asks her. I REALLY want a rec from her, but I don’t know how to stand out in front of my very intelligent classmates.
I get good grades in the class and I participate in class discussions and am a very good student in general. However, I see kids from my class talking to the teacher before school trying to get to know her and she seems to really like them and jokes with them. I want to form a relationship with her but I’m not sure how. I want to be a great student and provide something new to the class while also showing my teacher who I am as a person and what I do outside of school. How do I establish a relationship with my teacher and be more insightful in class like the other smart kids? In other words, how do I stand out and be one of the best kids (both academically and as a person) that my teacher has ever had?
just ask her…You don’t have to be the best student to get a good rec letter. I was a trash student in AP Lang and I got a great letter of rec from her.
Your teacher doesn’t need to speak to what you do outside of school or even who you are “as a person”. Her “job” in assessing your for LOR purposes is to give insight as to how you perform in school and participate in class. And sometimes you want that to be a class you do well in, and a class you engage a lot in, but it doesn’t have to be. I recall a college info session where they noted that sometimes a LOR from a teacher whose class you’ve struggled in can be a great one, if the teacher can detail things like how you cope with setbacks and overcome adversity, etc.
For starters, stop stressing. It’s counterproductive.
It’s so much easier to write a strong letter for a kid I do know “as a person.” The grades say a lot, but what I know about the kid makes the letter more fluid, more complete.
Write up a “brag sheet”-- you should have this for any teacher from whom you’re requesting a letter. Include things like your grades, but also things like your EC’s, hobbies, anything that sets you apart from the kid who sits next to you in class.
Then, sometime pretty soon, Ask. That’s it. As teachers, we know those requests are coming soon; it’s part of our job. No big deal really.
And I’ll address that last point from @SJ2727 . One of my Juniors is really, really struggling in my math class. He hates it, and simply can’t seem to get the grades. He’ll do great in extra help, then bomb the test 2 days later. I’ve already told him that I’ll be happy to write his letter. Because no matter how much he hates it (and, no, he’s never outright said so), no matter how poorly his grades reflect his effort, he keeps coming to extra help, keeps trying. I can easily write him a strong letter, as long as he’s not planning to major in math.
As Bjkmom suggested, ask early. As in end of February or early March. Have a resume ready. Don’t expect anything to get written this soon. It’s more about reserving your spot.
Be brave for a minute and just ask. You do not need to be one of “those students” who hangs around her office, jokes with her and gets the best grades. Most colleges like to have a math or science rec and a non STEM rec. Most kids are not great in both. And most kids do not joke with the teachers. Just do it and get it out of the way. If she says yes, great! If she says no, you have time to consider option B. Be brave!
For a teacher whose LORs are in high demand, I think early is okay. If she tells you you’re early, just tell her you are reserving your spot. She’ll get it. Then check in with her at the end of April or in May as to when she would like your resume copy given to her.
Seriously- did you do something that stood out? Did you make fabulous progress (often great reccs are form teachers that saw you take on challenges, struggle and succeed/grow) and provide them with a summary/reminder of things you did in their class that stood out to you.
There’s no such thing as too early. Your teachers all know they’ll be writing the letters; the only thing they don’t know is which students they’ll be writing them for. Ask as early as you can.
