<p>I heard that colleges prefer to hear from your sophomore~senior teachers. However, I have this one teacher who taught my freshman biology class whom I have become very close friends with. She moved, and now teaches at a neighboring school, but I still visit her frequently and we even had breakfast together the other day. The relationship that I have developed with her has become more of a friend-to-friend type rather than a student-to-teacher type. It's safe to ask her, right?</p>
<p>Another question. Even though we are pretty darn close, I don't know how I should go about asking her for a recommendation. Obviously, I want her to write a non-generic, unique recommendation, but at the same time, I don't want to be demanding and don't want to be like, "I want you to write the best recommendation ever. Don't list the things I've been involved in. Write about how we have become friends!" How should I "hint" at her so as to get her to write a good recommendation? See, she has been a teacher only for 2~ 3 years, so I don't think she has had much experience with recommendations...I don't want to educate her on how to write a recommendation, but I don't know if I can trust her entirely without me directing her somewhere with this...</p>
<p>Any suggestions as to how I should tactfully approach this issue? I don't want to risk this relationship.</p>
<p>I would advise against having her write an academic recommendation. Colleges ask for recommendations from junior-senior teachers for a reason: they want to see an honest appraisal of your most recent upper-level work in the school environment. It would only be appropriate to get a recommendation from a freshman year teacher if he/she advised an extracurricular that you’re heavily involved in or supervised you in a self-study or on independent research.</p>
<p>Instead, I would recommend having her write a supplemental recommendation for those colleges that allow you to submit one. With regard to a “great” recommendation, I’m sure your close relationship with your former teacher will allow her to write a recommendation in which your personality shines through. I wouldn’t mention it specifically to her or worry about it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the quick response -</p>
<p>Am I allowed to ask former teachers for supplementary recs? I thought I could only ask people “outside the classroom” for supp. recs.</p>
<p>I believe that your friendship with your former teacher (plus the fact that she no longer teaches at your school) would qualify as “outside the classroom” experience. This may vary between schools, though; it would probably be best to double-check with the schools that you end up applying to.</p>
<p>another thing - </p>
<p>Can I ask my debate coach to write a required rec? or would she only qualify for supp. rec?</p>
<p>Your debate coach can’t write you a required rec. The teachers need to have taught you in a class. The purpose of the teacher recommendations is to comment on your abilities as a student in the classroom. The focus of your freshman teacher’s recommendation would be on you outside of the classroom, not as student, which is why you really shouldn’t have her write the recommendation. (It is also very true that colleges want to hear about who you are now as a student, not who you were three years ago.)</p>