ASKING FOR TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Teacher recommendations, for most private colleges and public universities, are a persuasive part of your college application. A teacher recommendation is a chance for college admissions officers to see you through an adult’s eyes and learn new information about you in the classroom. What is the best way to make sure that your recommendations are as effective as possible?
Creating a positive relationship with a teacher is the first and most important step. 11th graders should talk to your teachers outside of class this fall, ask them questions about their course material, and tell them what interests you about their subject. The best recommender is not necessarily the teacher that gives you the highest grade. Instead, the best recommender knows you, appreciates you as a student, and has seen you grow in their classroom. As a junior you should try to cultivate relationships with all of your teachers, and this May you should plan to ask one humanities teacher and one STEM teacher to write a college recommendation for you.
12th graders have probably asked teachers to write recommendations already. If not, now is the time to ask two teachers, in person, whether they would be able to write a recommendation for you. Once a teacher has agreed to write for you, it is important to give them plenty of information to work with. Stop by early this fall and tell your teacher what you did over the summer. Ask if there is anything they would like to see or receive from you before writing your recommendation. Follow up by choosing one to two pieces of work from their class to share with them over e-mail. This could be an essay you wrote for their class that you enjoyed or an exam or project that you are proud of. Having a piece of your work in front of them while they write will help your teacher make your recommendation specific and compelling.
Should you find a third teacher to write a recommendation for you? Most colleges and universities will only accept two teacher recommendations. But if you are applying for a fine or performing arts program, or you are interested in specialized study (business, a language other than English, or a preprofessional program), it is often best to have a third teacher recommendation that is related to the field you want to study. For seniors, now is the time to reach out for a third teacher recommendation, especially if you have a specialized field of study that you want to pursue in college.
If you would like help determining which teachers to ask for recommendations, e-mail me: michelle@samaracollegeadvising.com