I am a rising senior, and I am planning on asking teachers for recommendations for college when school starts. When should I ask the teacher about college recs, and how should I ask? I really don’t like asking teachers for things, it makes me nervous. I have asked teachers for recommendations before for other programs, but I have never asked this particular teacher for a recommendation and i’ve never asked for a recommendation for college before.
At my school, the guidance department pretty much had a timeline plan for when to ask teachers to write recommendations which was ~3 weeks before the deadlines for submitting your application. It is generally good form to give the teacher at least that long to make time out of their schedules to write a letter. That being said, if you like the teacher and they like you, there isn’t much need to be nervous. My personal experience was it was quick and painless. I approached my teachers, told them that I would be applying to college this year and if they would be so kind as to take time out of their busy schedules to help me out by writing a letter.
Be confident! You’ll be fine. If you’re still unsure, I would ask your guidance counselor about specifics!
At our hs the counselors got with the students at the beginning of their senior year and had a meeting to discuss the application process. They suggested that you ask the teacher in person for a recommendation and then put their name in Naviance for each recommendation needed. Since they had a lot of letters to write the teachers appreciated being asked early in the cycle. My son did not know the teacher that wrote his recommendation letters very well at the first of the year but by Oct 1 he knew he wanted her to write his letters. She was wonderful. Most teachers of seniors expect to be asked so don’t be afraid. Everyone is asking! Definitely ask in person then follow up with whatever method your high school recommends.
My kids both asked their teachers for recommendations at the end of their junior year so you may want to ask now if school is still in session. And a good way to word it is to ask if he/she would be willing to write a positive college letter of recommendation. If the teacher agrees to write the letter say thanks and ask if there is any information you can provide to help him/her write the letter (ex. a resume if you have one, a list of activities etc.)
PLEASE ask before school lets out for the summer. We get LOTS of requests— last year I wrote 45 letters for rising Seniors; my husband has probably written about the same number this year.
It simply isn’t reasonable to ask us to write 45 strong letters once school starts in the fall. Want a quick “atl444 took my class and got a 90” letter? Sure, I can crank it out in no time at all-- assuming of course that I’m not grading that night, or that I have no meetings or mommy duties.
But if you want me to put some real thought into your letter, you’ve got to give me sufficient time to write it-- like the summer.
As to how to ask, first write a resume or brag sheet. Remind the teacher of your grades in his/her class and your grades overall. (Sure, I have your grades from last year-- somewhere. But I’m doing you a favor. Please make it easy.) IF you got a 100 on one of my big exams, like the final, please mention that as well. Let me know if you’re involved in any extra curricular activities that tie in to my coursework. Mention what you want to major in, and where you hope it will lead you. Your school may very well have a “brag sheet” in the guidance office for you to use; my school does, as does my daughter’s.
Then stop by at a time when I’m not busy-- not in the hall between classes, not as class is starting, and not via email. As me to write your letter. Rest assured, I’m expecting a number of requests, I’ll have a pretty good idea of what you want when you show up at my door.
@bjkmom just shared your post with D18. Can’t say it much better than this!
@bjkmom oh well I’m currently on summer break right now, when I asked my counselor she told me to ask at the beginning of senior year
One thing that hasn’t been brought up yet is that every student asking for recs should ask the teacher(s) whether they can write a positive letter for you. This is always appropriate, phrased politely of course. While it can be uncomfortable for a student to ask a direct question like this to a teacher I would never assume a teacher will write a positive rec.
In “The Gatekeepers”,in which a NY Times reporter followed the admissions committee at Wesleyan for a year, is a real-world example of a bad rec. Obviously when the student asked for a rec she assumed it would be positive, but here is what she got:
This could have been avoided if the teacher had been asked if they would write a strong rec. The student did not get in
Only once, ever, have I suggested that a kid try another teacher.
I told her that I would paint the truth as nicely as I could, but that the reality is that she blew off my class all year, only doing well enough on the final to guarantee that she would pass. I told her that if I was the best she could do, then I would sincerely try to find nice things to say, but that I couldn’t sacrifice my professional reputation by writing something that wasn’t true.
I think that teachers who write negative letters are by far the exception. The vast majority of us will either suggest that the kid ask someone else, or find the reasons that some parent thinks the world of that kid.