<p>Hi, I am currently a Junior in High School and will be a Senior next school year (Late August). I've been really stressing out about college lately and I want to be prepared for the College admission process. I've already taken the SAT and I have a good idea of the Colleges I want to apply to. </p>
<p>My question is, when do I need to have recommendation letters? Should I ask my teachers for recommendation letters now before the end of the year or wait until next year? I heard I needed to be have all my stuff prepared by December of my Senior Year, is this true? I plan on applying early to various Colleges, do I need to ask my teachers now for their recommendation letters? Also, how many do I need and should have?</p>
<p>I went to a large high school, and students sometimes would ask teachers for recs at the end of junior year because teachers would put “caps” on the number they would write. Your recs are usually due the same date as your application-and YES you will probably be done with applying in December-some schools that are rolling will even let you apply in the summer so you will know your response from them VERY soon! Your teachers probably do not need to write the recs now (unless you’re doing summer) but from my experience they liked the heads up of me asking before hand.</p>
<p>How many letters you need should also be in the application (remember if it says “recomended” try and do it)</p>
<p>When my daughter was a junior, her guidance counselor gave us some very good advice about this. </p>
<p>Right now, the teachers are busy. They’re dealing with AP exams, and then getting the seniors’ finals ready, and then administering those exams, grading them and getting seniors’ final grades in the books. Then there will be graduation and graduation activities. </p>
<p>But after graduation, you’ll become a much higher priority for the teachers, and the teachers will have a lot more time to listen to you. So his advice (actually, the only useful advice this guy ever gave us, really) was to approach teachers about college recommendations after the seniors graduate, but before the end of the school year for underclassmen.</p>