Who and how to ask for a Letter of Recommendation

A Letter of Recommendation can be an integral part of your college application when you ask the right teacher the right way.

In general, at least one teacher and your college counselor will provide you with a Letter of Recommendation. This letter should not be a rehashing of your activities or a list of the clubs that you are participating in. Instead, this letter, at least the one from your teacher(s) should be a way for them to explain how your presence in the class made it better. The teacher should be able to say that you asked questions that showed a deeper understanding of the material, and your queries made the other classmates see the subject from a different point of view. The teacher should be willing to say that the class ran better, smoother, or deeper due to your involvement in the class. This is why it is important for you to ask the right teacher for a Letter of Recommendation.

So, how does one decide which teacher(s) to ask? Well, the common misconception is to ask the teacher that gave you the best grade. This may not be the benchmark for you to seek out. For example, if you are good at math, don’t struggle with the concepts, and have always done well in the classes, you may not get a great Letter of Recommendation from the teacher as they have never had to see you struggle or ask questions to get a better description of a concept. As odd as this may sound but if you never struggle with a class and don’t really ask questions to understand the material better, your teacher may not have a lot to say about your participation in the class which can lead to a relatively boring letter. On the other hand, if you struggled with a subject, the teacher saw that struggle, helped you through that struggle, and you were able to get a better grade after that struggle, this teacher will have more to say about who you are as a student. Even if you did not get an “A” in the class, your teacher can use your participation in the class to show the reader what could happen if you were in that same situation in college.

You are always better off asking someone who has taught you recently. It is hard for a teacher who had you as a freshman to opine on how you would react to a challenging class as a senior. You have matured so very much during those three years, and you should be a completely different person.

When and how should you ask your teacher for a Letter of Recommendation? I always suggest asking your teachers at the end of your junior year in high school. You will want to give them as much of a head start as possible especially if your class has a lot of students in it and you have chosen a popular teacher. By April of the end of your junior year, you should have an idea as to who you will ask. The “how” is relatively easy. You should ask them in person during the school day. Some teachers will want you to submit an email so they can have written proof of your asking. However, in the spring of your junior year, asking in person will be easier. Once school has started for you in the fall, you should ask again, in person, as well as through email. You will want a verifiable record of the teacher’s acceptance or denial of your request.

What should you do if one of your teachers decides against writing your Letter of Recommendation? If a teacher tells you that they cannot write one for you, thank them for their time, and move on to the next teacher. Do not spend too much time wondering why they decided not to write your letter. You can only control the ask and not the response.

Obtaining a well written and crafted Letter of Recommendation will go a long way in helping your application stand out in the sea of applicants.