Your letters of recommendation are vital, admissions officers are interested in what makes a student tick academically.
What are your strengths? How do you respond to a challenge? How well do you write? How do you interact with your peers? Do you participate in class?
Colleges want to know how a student approached academia, and those who are in the best position to offer a perspective about students are teachers. That's why most colleges require teachers' recommendations. These recommendations do influence admissions decisions. Colleges learn about your personality, attitude, character, level of maturity, and special interests.
Choosing Recommenders
Choose teachers with whom you have had an ongoing relationship and who can provide positive comments that will distinguish you from other applicants. Ask someone you like and respect, and who feels the same about you. Students often worry about a teacher refusing to write about them. Rarely does a teacher turn a student down. When this happens, it is usually because the teacher is overburdened or feels unqualified.
Follow these guidelines for selecting recommenders:
- Approach teachers who know you well. If you can’t think of one start to build relationships immediately.
- Select teachers from your junior or senior year. A recent impression of the student is preferable.
- Consider asking teachers whose subject may relate to a future area of study. Students who want to studying engineering should ask a math or physical science teacher. Student’s interested in communications should ask an English teacher.
- Choose teachers who can comment upon growth and willingness to work to improve. Colleges are interested in student’s striving to improve, not how easy it is for them to get top marks.
- Approach teachers early, at least two months in advance of the deadline. Many senior year teachers are flooded with requests for recommendations. Students who procrastinate may find these teachers are already overcommitted.
- Be clear about how the letter will be sent to the colleges. At some high schools, teachers file their letters in the guidance office and they are sent to the colleges along with school records. If your school does not do this, provide the teacher with a stamped, addressed envelope for each college.
Other recommenders
Some schools ask applicants to provide supplemental references, such as from a peer or an employer. When choosing these individuals, it is wise to pick those who can write well. Be sure to discuss with them why you are asking, and give them an idea about what you expect from the recommendation. The key to selecting a supplementary reference is to choose someone who will offer a unique perspective about the applicant that is not covered elsewhere. Here especially, it is important to choose recommenders with whom you have a close relationship—this will serve you better than an array of vague and impersonal letters.
