I’m in my 2nd semester of junior year in HS, and I already know my recommendations are going to be mediocre at best. I haven’t actually reached out to any teachers about letters of recommendation, but I feel that they won’t be able to write anything impressive.
I’m a shy student with practically no participation in class, and basically no relationship with teachers. I get A’s in every class but otherwise I basically suck at being a “good student” in teachers’ eyes. My teachers don’t know me AT ALL. Honestly, I’m not even sure how I’m going to approach teachers for a letter…
Question is, how much will this hurt? I will apply to top schools this fall, ivies, Uchicago, and the like. I’m guessing that my teachers will end up writing a generic half-page letter that doesn’t actually have much weight. Any other students like me?
Any opinions, advice?
Recommendations in general are not weighted as heavily as you fear. Because students pretty much always cherry pick the teachers that they think will give them a good review, it does not really say much except that the student is not actively disruptive in class. If your recommendation is generic, don’t feel bad – it’s hard to write a really good recommendation even for someone that you like, and the fact that you are studying hard and trying your best will count for a lot even though you are not talkative. Your work speaks for itself.
One thing that some schools do – and your school may do this too – is have you (the student) write a ‘brag sheet’ of your accomplishments for use in preparing guidance counselor and teacher recommendations.
One thing I advise you NOT to do is wait til last minute to ask for a recommendation if required. you want to give your teachers and counselors plenty of time to write and submit the reports.
I know people at my daughter’s school who tried to do it last minute and all kinds of mistakes happened; a teacher forgot to mail or upload a letter, a recommendation letter was sent to the wrong school, a favorite teacher ended up being too busy with other things to write a letter… it was just a mess, because a few people waited until a week before the deadline for the application to broach the subject!!
Are you saying that you NEVER talk to the teacher whatsoever?
Do you ever do anything of these things?
-turn in all assignments on time
-always turn in quality work
-help classmates
-going to them for help
-ask questions outside of class
-get good feedback on assignments (preferably actual comments like, “OMGGG!!! BEST PAPER EVAHHH!!!” and not just “100%”)
If you do these in any particular class, that’s a good sign. Your teacher may be noticing things that you aren’t noticing and they may write about that.
The fact that you say you have A’s in all of your classes means that you’re obviously doing something right.
Anyways, it’s not a big deal going to ask for a rec so don’t worry about that. Just go up to them outside of class (lunch, after school) and ask something like, “Would you be alright with writing a college recommendation for me next year?”
However, DON’T email them.
I feel like a mediocre letter will not help or hurt you. However, if your teacher writes a bad recommendation (ex. “Worst student I ever had! Cheated on every assignment! Ugh!”, that will hurt - but that’s not gonna happen. Good luck! 
*edit: Melaniesdad’s post was not up when I posted my response. I definitely agree with whole “don’t wait until the last minute” thing! Don’t inconvenience your teachers by waiting till a month before the deadlines like how some of my classmates did.
@Melaniesdad That was comforting, thank you your post. You seem to have experienced the recommendation process; when do you recommend asking teachers for recommendations? I will be applying early decision this October. I’m guessing asking my Junior teachers in September (right after summer vacation ends) would be optimum? Should I reach out to teachers earlier?
@noemii I basically never talk to my teachers, like around five sentences per week 
That’s exactly right. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with speaking up in class when you have something to say, but even if you never do that chances are if you are an A student you are making a good impression through your work and teachers – especially teachers who have been teaching for a long time – know about the different ‘types’ of kids who come into their classrooms and can talk about them with more depth and insight than you would necessarily realize.
I think asking in September is fine for RD; isn’t that when you come back from summer vacation any way? If you ask them too far in advance too they might forget since they are busy people; a couple of months is plenty of lead time in my experience.
Also check the specific requirements of the schools that you want. Some schools don’t just want a recommendation from any teacher but from specific subjects. Some people want a letter from both a teacher and a guidance counselor. This will all be on the Web but you have to look it up for each school to make sure that you know who to ask for what.
Good luck!
(Specific, not specfiiic)
that still counts as talking 
@Melaniesdad I meant ED…not RD. Early decision apps are due November 1st. Do you think asking in September is appropriate for ED as well?
@noemii I honestly thought asking a month before the deadline would be okay
Uhh it’s debatable whether or not asking a month before is optimal. Teachers are very busy and may have to write recommendations for other students. I would ask them in person in May/June, tell them you are applying ED to places, wish them a good summer, remind them in September and go from there.
OK, as a teacher who has written lots of those letters, here’s what you do:
For each of the teachers you’re going to ask, come up with a form (if your school doesn’t already have one-- mine does.)
List things like:
-How you did in that class. Anything in particular that stands out, like the fact that you got a 100% on the midterm or something of that nature.
- What you're planning to major in, and why. What do you think you want to do with your life? (If you don't know, feel free to say that. But do you have an idea of a direction-- like working with children or business or travel??)
- Why you're choosing that particular class. But be careful. I DON'T need to know that you thought I was really nice. What I need to know is what YOU got out of the class. Tell me that you've always loved math, and that you loved the way Geometry makes you play with the problem, instead of following a standard practice. Tell your history teacher how you've always loved American history, and that your family has taken vacations in lots of the places you've learned about, or how your European teacher has inspired you to want to visit the Tower of London some day.
- What you do outside of class. If you're involved in extra curriculars at school, great. If not, what do you do with your time? Are you a reader? Do you babysit? Do you draw or play the piano? Have you traveled? Where? Do you visit your grandmother in a nursing home? Give them a little insight into who you are.
-Anything else you can think of that will enable them to get to know you better.
As to the timing: earlier is better. The teachers at my school will be finding out this week which letters we’ll be writing… our kids were required to ask 3 teachers, then they’ll get 2 of those 3. (It’s an effort to prevent some teachers from being overly busy. Last year I wrote something like 40, the year before something like 38.) The letters are due in guidance before the end of the school year.
I say you ask SOON, as in before Spring break. That way, a teacher who does have the time to spare can knock off your letter during vacation. If he or she is traveling, then the letter can be put at the bottom of the to-do list for school. Please don’t wait for the fall… the start of the school year is brutally busy!!! Spring/summer is so much better!!!
You sound like you’ll be embarrassed to ask. Don’t be. At this point of the year, if a Junior even approaches me, I pretty much know what it’s likely to be. (I don’t teach Juniors this year.)It’s not a big inconvenience, it’s part of my job. You simply say: “Excuse me, Mrs. Bjkmom, I have a favor to ask. I wonder if you would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for college? I know I was kind of quiet in class, so I put together some information that might help you.”
And you sound like the kind of kid that any teacher would be more than happy to recommend.
Like bjkmom said: you need to ask before this year is up. Are you scared to do so? Better to confront your fears now.
Ask yourself: what do you add to the classroom? Are you an island and only show up and do the work required to get an A? Or do your classmates find you helpful and you add to the learning environment? If so, then confidently state that to your teachers.
If not, then frankly, you shouldn’t be applying ED to any Ivy or Chicago
You’ve gotten some good advice here. I have written recommendation letters for college students looking to transfer, and I find it very helpful when the students provide a brag sheet. Be specific. For example, if you are asking a history teacher, talk about how researching the topic of X for your paper sparked an interest in the subject. Or how something that happened in class led to your reading more about the subject outside of class. Intellectual curiosity is something that top schools look for, and that is not something that has anything to do with being the one who always speaks up in class.
I understand your concerns, as I was similarly concerned about my senior daughter, who is extremely shy, and doesn’t speak up in class unless she is called on. In fact, a common comment on her report card is the wish that she would speak more. Nonetheless, this hasn’t hurt her in her admissions results. She has been accepted at Chicago and other good schools thus far. Most teachers have enough experience to appreciate all kinds of students, including the quiet ones.
No, I think that’s a bad idea.
Look, I asked a teacher in May after AP exams. He didn’t submit until a few days before the deadline, which was November 1st. However, I know he was REALLY busy. Not only was he teaching several different classes (regular/honors/AP) but he was also a sports coach. If I had asked in October, he probably would’ve refused.
So you need to consider what kind of work they need to do (as part of their job) and account for whatever things may be going on in their personal life. They need time. If you give them 5 months, that may seem excessive, but they may just be planning to do all their recs in one big sweep 2 weeks before the deadline. Or they might just do it the next day. You just don’t know.
I agree with what TheDidactic said - ask in May/June, then follow up in September. There are a ton of reasons that you shouldn’t wait. One, some teachers have caps on how many recs they write. You don’t want to deal with any last minute mishaps. There’s always the chance of health problems/incidents (ex. one of my teachers was in a horrible car accident and was gone for over a month) Overall, you shouldn’t inconvenience the teacher - if you give them more time, they’ll probably be willing to do it.
Asking in September (for a 1/1 deadline) may be ok. Asking in December is not. I don’t see any reason to prolong asking the teacher, though.
Thank for your replies everyone, all you were very helpful and comforting. Here’s the plan of action I’ve decided: I’ll speak to my guidance counselor this week and ask what the formal process is for asking for recommendations (forms, timing, etc). I’ll ask my teachers this June just before Summer vacations start. I’ll give those teachers a folder with a resume, deadlines, a “brag sheet”, and an official form if I need one. Then, I’ll reach out to them again on September 1st to remind them to start working on the recommendations if they haven’t already.
Does this sound okay?
That sounds perfect.