How to Get the Best Letters of Recommendation
School’s out for summer, and rising seniors are starting their college applications. After 15 months of mostly or entirely online learning, many applicants are struggling with how to procure strong letters of recommendation. I’m here to answer all your questions! Also enjoy a free pdf download template to guide you in writing your letter to your recommenders.
Do I have to seek recommendations from junior year teachers?
Typically, students will seek letters from junior year teachers for two reasons: students are at their strongest academically at this point in high school and teachers have the most recent recollection of the student’s performance in their class. That said, this is not a rule, and for rising seniors who haven’t seen much of their teachers-- or who may not have been at peak performance for remote learning-- they do not need to ask junior year teachers.
Who should write my letters of recommendation? Does it have to be a teacher in a field related to my future major?
Seek letters from teachers who know you well both academically and personally. The standard approach used to be to procure letters from teachers in two different areas, e.g. one STEM and one ELA. For a student who doesn’t have a particular academic focus yet or for whom those are the two teachers who know her best, that can be a good approach. On the other hand, if a student has a clear academic focus, we want to be targeted. If you are applying to a direct admit business program, and you are strongest in mathematics and/or have taken electives in business, then seek letters from your AP Stats or Economics teachers, or both.
The best letters of recommendation will be from classes in which I earned an “A,” right?
You also want to have a diversity of perspective on yourself as a student. The most persuasive letter is not necessarily written by the teacher in whose class you performed the best. You may have struggled in AP Physics and attended office hours every day for two months to catch up and are now excelling. That teacher could write a compelling letter about your persistence and aptitude. Aim to procure letters that show multiple sides of you as a student so they aren’t redundant of each other.
How many letters of recommendation do I need? A friend of mine said she had eight recommenders!
The rule of thumb is two, but your mileage may vary. Many colleges request one or two, so it is a good idea to have two in hand. Some colleges will permit additional letters, and if there is a significant person in your life, teacher or otherwise, in addition to your first two, and you have schools on your list that will accept additional letters, go for it. Please do not reach out to additional recommenders until you are certain you have schools on your list that will accept more than two recommendation letters.
When and how do I ask for a letter of recommendation?
Ideally you will have made a verbal request before the end of junior year. You want to give a teacher an opportunity to heartily agree; if she doesn’t, that is a sign to ask someone else. After you have a verbal commitment, ask the teacher if she has a survey of her own, uses the school’s survey (SCOIR/Naviance) or doesn’t require anything. Follow the teacher’s instructions, and in addition, give her as much relevant information as you can to support her letter. This includes a letter from you
detailing what you learned and appreciated in her class,
explaining your current and future academic interests and plans, and
describing your extracurricular activities and accomplishments.
Follow the link here for your own free copy of a template letter to your teacher.
Some students also provide teachers a copy of their personal essay and/or a resume. Most importantly, be sure to thank your teacher in advance for the time and effort she will spend writing the letter.
How do I submit letters once they are written?
Teachers will rarely submit letters to you; they will typically electronically submit them through SCOIR/Naviance directly to Common App/Coalition/individual school application. In the event a teacher does not work digitally and mails letters in, be sure to provide her with stamped, addressed envelopes and the instructions for submission.
Can a coach/family friend/work supervisor write me a letter of recommendation instead of a teacher?
Unless Vice President Kamala Harris is a close personal friend-- and if so, good for you-- your letters should be from teachers. Remember, you are applying to an academic program, so the academy wants to know what you are like as a student, first and foremost. Additional letters from adults who know you in an academic or professional capacity can provide wonderful color, but they don’t replace the academic letters.
