Recommendation Letters for College- Who to Ask?

Hey everybody!
It’s time for me to start considering some possible teachers to ask for recommendation letters for college (my school only allows you to ask 2 people).

I have a couple questions about the process; would really appreciate it if you guys could help!

  1. Since I am probably studying English as an undergraduate, does it matter if I ask 1 humanities 1 STEM teacher, 2 humanities teachers, or 2 STEM teachers (if the college doesn’t have a requirement on who to ask for rec. letters- I know most colleges ask for 1 STEM 1 Humanities)?
  2. Does personality matter more or grades when asking a teacher (assuming I didn’t get As both semesters, but DID show improvement from a B to an A)?
  3. Does it matter if I ask a sophomore teacher v.s. a junior teacher, especially if I did well in the sophomore class and the teachers knows me well?
  4. Is it okay to approach a teacher for a letter, but that teacher shows hesitation (implying that he/she may not really want to write you a letter) and then ask another teacher instead, who does show enthusiasm? If this happens, how do I tell the previous teacher that I don’t need a letter from him/her anymore?

Also- I saw some forums on what to give to the teacher when doing the very first ask. No resumes, no gifts, but DO approach them in person?

Thanks so much everybody!

Excellent questions. The purpose of the teacher rec is to give colleges insight to your character. Many colleges take these recommendations very seriously so having a good teacher who knows you well is critical. The general rule is that it is best to have recs from teachers in unrelated fields write your recs, such as a math and English teacher,or science and history. But the most important considerations should be how well this teacher knows and likes you. Ideally you want a teacher whose class you have done well in. If you can’t have recs from teachers in unrelated fields, then ask the teachers who know you best, who like you, and who you also like.

Showing improvement in a class is always good. That might be a good teacher to ask.

A sophomore teacher I think is fine. A friend’s daughter, the class Val, asked her sophomore teacher because they were still in contact at school. If this is the case with you, it is probably fine, but ask your counselor first.

A teacher will usually be upfront if they think they can’t write the best rec, and they will suggest you find someone who knows you better. If it’s phrased like that, no need to tell them you have asked someone else.

Yes, ask them in person. My D believes her teachers wrote her very good recs (never saw them, but she did get into most of her colleges) and she asked them in person. You can always ask them if they could mention a specifics thing, such as a great project. Ask if you can email them with a couple of things you hope they can mention, and also with the list of colleges you are applying to. My D didn’t do that, but other kids have, and it might make a difference. And remember to thank them when it’s all done. Good luck!

Lindagaf nailed in IMHO. I can attest to Soph teachers are fine - my 2 kids got into NU with different Soph teacher recs, I think the teacher(s) that know you best is the way to go - regardless if they are STEM/English. Don’t forget to thank them and Good Luck!

A few random thoughts…
-It is always good practice to ask a teacher if he/she could write a positive recommendation for you.

-Absolutely ask in person.
-You don’t need a teacher who gave you all A’s, it is more important that the teacher know you well. Sometimes a teacher who can write about a student’s tenacity in getting that B+ is better than a teacher whose class was a breeze.
-If a teacher agrees to write a recommendation, ask if there is anything you can provide (like a resume) to help them.
-Most colleges do like to have one STEM and one humanities teacher because it will show two sides of you
-My D asked one soph. teacher and one junior teacher and it was fine. The soph. teacher was her advisor in a program and knew her well.

Thanks everybody!
Around what time do you suggest approaching teachers? Obviously, the earlier the better, but most of my teachers are extremely busy right now since it is AP season.
Also, I’ve asked around seniors at my school, and they say that they mostly approached teachers by the end of junior year. I won’t have a solid college list by then yet; do I ask them how to contact them over the summer and email them with updates?
Finally, just in general (not necessarily for college recommendation letters, but for summer programs too, as I just got notifications from quite a few), is it advised to tell teachers who wrote you letters if you’re rejected? Should I give them gifts in appreciation, and if so, when-- after they agree to write me one, or after they have finished writing one, or after I get the status of acceptance/rejection?

Sorry for all these questions; I really appreciate your help!

Also, do colleges like seeing core classes (like English, Math, Science) more than perhaps elective classes, such as Psychology? I’m debating on who to ask-- I can definitely secure an English teacher, but most colleges want a STEM and humanities recommendation. My math and science teachers this year, I can say, I definitely worked hard in but I can’t really “read” their feelings towards me.

Would it be strange to ask a freshman teacher for a recommendation (as a last resort), even if I did substantial work with that teacher (though as an extracurricular) outside of school? I did this research project with another teammate and he was our adviser; he gave substantial advice and helped edit our paper and I really think our relationship improved.

Also- any tips on how to build on a relationship with your school counselor? I go to a large, well-performing public school and at my school counselors basically write recommendations based on how good your resume is-- barely anybody has any personal connection. Obviously, I would like to have stronger relationships with my counselor for recommendation letters and just in general (having somebody to depend on)!

For supplemental recommendations (as in someone outside of school), how do you decide who to choose? Is it the same process as choosing recommenders as school (ie. who knows you best)? Wouldn’t it be important to factor in the length of time participating in that extracurricular, and the impact I made? How do I decide then?

Thank you so much for your time, everybody!

Make an appointment with your counselor, go and talk with her, and ask some of these questions, especially asking about a 9th grade teacher. Then you can establish a bit of a rapport with your GC, and get definite answers.

No gifts, a thank you is enough, that includes your summer stuff. They don’t need to know those details, but tell them if asked. I would ask before school ends, so that way they don’t forget about you. Then you can remind them at the beginning of the school year.

I personally wouldn’t submit a personal rec apart from two teachers, unless it was a significant person in your life, such as your violin teacher for 8 years, etc… My D asked her GC to incorporate a few lines from outside recs into the GC’s rec letter. She handed over the extra materials and pointed out the elements she wanted incorporated. This worked well because like you, my D didn’t really know her counselor all that well, and it provided more positive recs from a variety of people without adding another supplement to the app. Colleges want to see important supplements, but they don’t want to be bombarded with a bunch of extra stuff, including recs. Too much extra stuff will just annoy them.

Reread what I said about who to ask. Any academic subjects are fine. I would think a psych teacher is fine.