<p>I guess my dad brought up to my favorite teacher that I'll probably ask her for a recommendation next year (I'm a junior), and she seemed excited to do it. If I'm going to apply early to some schools, when should I officially ask her? And like what do you say? </p>
<p>Also, how many rec letters would you guess the average teacher writes per year? Counselor? </p>
<p>Does the rec they write go to all colleges you apply to?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Let’s see if I can help. Well last year right about this time of my junior year is when I asked two of my teachers for college recommendations. I basically told them that I would really appreciate if they could write my recommendations they were willing to. since both of them seemed to like me alot they both agreed. At my school we had to fillout a recommendation packet with our information that the teachers received. Also one of my teachers had a few questions that needed to be filled out for her. I brought them all of the enveloppes at the end of September because I was applying to alot of colleges early action. At my school the counselor writes a general rec for all of his or her students so I had three recs. Some of my schools required only one or even none. One of my teacher would only send to your top five colleges( alot of teachers put restrictions on the amount they write per student) but my other teacher sent them to all 10. Hope this helps and pm me If you need any more info.</p>
<p>You asked them during your junior year? Is that typical? Do they actually write separate recs for each school? How many students do you think they write recs for per year? When you say the counselor writes a “general rec,” what exactly do you mean? </p>
<p>Hahah sorry for all the questions! Thanks!</p>
<p>Yeah i asked at the end of may of my junior year just to five them a heads up that i want them to write my rec for me because some teachers get alot of requests. I would say on average teachers get at least ten students they have to write recs for. Popular teachers get even more around 20-40 kids ask them so the earlier the better. You want to make sure they have you in mind when they start writing all their recs so they get yours in on time. Most people I know asked at the end of junior year or in september of senior year because most kids ask teachers that they had junior year. By counselors writing a general rec I meant I assume my rec and most other students were just generic and impersonal because most people don’t have a relationship with or see their counselor often. I only talk to my counselor for class scheduling which is once a year, so she must have only wrote about my grades and the rigor of my courses and school. Ask more questions if you need, getting recs were the easiest part of the college process. If you have any other questions about the college application process just ask or pm me.</p>
<p>I only got one teacher rec from a teacher I’ve had for several years. I asked about two months before my first deadline, then checked in a couple of weeks later to make sure he hadn’t forgotten.</p>
<p>If you know the teacher pretty well asking shouldn’t be a big deal, and it sounds lie she’s already expecting you. Just get straight to the point. It would be helpful for your teacher if you could write out a reminder of what your application deadlines are as well. </p>
<p>But then again I go to a smaller sized school (~900 students from 7th-12th)</p>
<p>Sorry to jump in here, but I have been reading these comments with interest b/c I am also a junior looking for rec letters before the end of the school year. How can I ask a teacher for a rec letter if I’m not even sure of all the schools I will be applying to as a senior? I know of a couple I will apply to, but I’m sure I will be adding a few more over the next few months… How do I handle this?</p>
<p>Theres a very informative post at the top of this forum about asking for recommendations.</p>
<p>You basically just ask your teachers to write a rec and give them a deadline (the earlier the better) for when it will need to be finished. Once you are actually applying to schools and need to send the recommendation, you give your teacher addressed enveloples and they just slip the recommendation into each one (they may choose to change a few words based on the school, but that’s up to them and not necessary- most recommendations are generic). </p>
<p>If you use CommonApp or any application that allows online rec submissions, you just “invite” them to give you a recommendation online, and they will copy/paste in their recommendation letter.</p>
<p>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. For example, “Am I a student you would write a strong letter of reccomendation for, or do you suggest I ask someone else?” </p>
<p>Don’t argue or question why if the answer is ask someone else, simply to thank the teacher for their honest answer. Sometimes a teacher you assume would like a student (due to a high grade, for example) has taken a marked dislike in spite of the high grade. There is no shame or dishonor in deliberately selecting those who hold a favorable opinion to write a rec.</p>
<p>While it can be uncomfortable for a student to ask a direct question like this to a teacher, it HAS to be done. I know someone who was on the alumni scholarship committee for a well-known U and they regularly received letters of “rec” for the full-tuition scholarship that raked the kid over the coals. 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.</p>
<p>I’m a little confused, wouldn’t you be able to, at the very least, ask to see the letter of recommendation before it gets sent in? Why, under any circumstances, would you send in a letter that wasn’t positive…? Also, since I’m trying to beat the rush and ask for letters before school’s out, what’s the etiquette for doing so? Do you just go in and ask at the end of the day if they aren’t busy, or do you absolutely have to give them a heads-up, along the lines of “can I speak with you at the end of the day?” prior to actually asking? Sorry if this sounds neurotic, I’m just trying to be thorough.</p>
<p>
Generally… no. </p>
<p>That’s the whole point of the little box you check that says “waive right to see rec”. In college admissions, as in the rest of life, people give more credence to a letter describing a person when said person isn’t allowed to see what it says. Under those circumstances the person writing the letter is believed to be more free to speak her/his mind without fear of repercussion. </p>
<p>And just as you adroitly pointed out, if a person can see the letters in advance only a fool would submit poor letters. So for both those reasons if you don’t waive your right to see the letters then adcoms give them little weight.</p>
<p>Sorry, that teacher who wrote that negative rec above is a jackass. They should have just told the student it might be a good idea to ask someone else.</p>
<p>Anyone know the answer to Wisongene’s question?</p>
<p>@mikemac - Well, I guess, but wouldn’t it make sense that a person you ask would write a positive one? The teacher above must have intentionally meant to sabotage the student’s chances or else the quote was taken out of context. My biggest “weakness” is that I’m pretty quiet, but I wouldn’t expect my letters to say, “he’s very smart, but he’s way too shy to be considered for this school.” Why would they waste their time? I suspect that they could at least put a positive spin on it. </p>
<p>@liv4physics - I asked an Eng. teacher and a coach/history teacher yesterday, and they both seemed enthusiastic. I just went in between classes and asked if they were available at the end of the day. When they said yes, I waited until the last bell and then went to formally ask them by explaining my motives. I probably said “thank you” about six times per teacher. Haha</p>
<p>Like what exactly did you say when you asked them?</p>
<p>“In college admissions, as in the rest of life, people give more credence to a letter describing a person when said person isn’t allowed to see what it says.”</p>
<p>Really? I hope not.
My guidance counselor suggested that I ask for recommendations from 3 or 4 teachers, even though the schools I’m applying to only ask for two. This way, I can send the ones that say the most about me. Of course, it’s important to ask teachers if they can write a strong recommendation, but among teachers who feel they can, some will certainly write better recs than others…</p>
<p>If I waive my right, I have a feeling she’d still go through the recs for me and pick the ones she feels are better. Does that “give less credence”?</p>
<p>I said: “Hello _<strong><em>, is it alright if I stop by after school today? Will you be here, or can I stop by another time if that’s best?" and then at the end of the day: "Hello _</em></strong>, in the spirit of doing things early, may I ask you to write me a letter of recommendation? Yes? Ok, thanks very much! Is there anything I can give you to make it easier for you since I know it’s sometimes a pain to write and I know you’re in high demand? Haha. Ok, thanks, I will get you an activities list (or whatever they want) as soon as possible. Thanks again, I really appreciate you doing this for me! Have a good one.” Ad-lib where necessary. Both of the teachers I asked knew who I was and probably knew more about writing these things than I did, so they just kinda explained how they were gonna do it and such before I left. Good luck! Don’t get too stressed about it, man. If they like you, they’ll have no problem writing you one.</p>
<p>Not a man. lol. But I’ll definitely keep this in mind when I ask my teacher (who actually technically already agreed to doing it when my dad brought it up casually hahaha)!</p>
<p>:0 Sorry about calling you a man. That’s just the lingo where I’m from, man. 
It sounds like you have at least one letter in the bag. Good luck!</p>
<p>Where are you from? WI?</p>
<p>Yes. Yes, I am.</p>