When to ask for teacher letter reccomendations?Answered
I'm not sure if I should ask my teachers and counselor about the letter of recc during the summer like maybe 2 weeks before the school year begins. Or if I should ask like around 2 weeks after the new school year has already started. I just want a general idea of when it's best to ask them, cause I'm guessing that they will be having a lot of other students asking for it as well. Also, when I finally ask them is there anything specific that I need to remember to tell them.
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4 answers
Generally, it is best practice to give teachers advance notice before summer break that you will be asking for letters of recommendation. This is important because it is polite and helpful for them. It gives them the opportunity to recall and remember far more specific anecdotes from the year as well. I know my teachers find it helpful to have examples or anecdotes of when specific behaviors are shown during class and giving advance notice before summer starts allows teachers to be prepared to write a far better letter of recommendation. Also, there is another post of CollegeVine that discusses what to talk about when asking for a letter of recommendation. The title is something relating to how someone is moving and unsure of how to ask for a letter of recommendation. I advise you go look at that post. That post has some awesome information about what to ask and why so you can get the best letter of recommendation possible. Good to you during application season this fall/winter!
Edit: it will be helpful, no matter what, to give them a resume.
The longer you have, the better. It benefits both parties, as you are being courteous to your teacher (who definitely has to write tons recommendations for other students), and you are ensuring that you get a quality letter before the due date. So ask right now, in your junior year, as most kids will ask after school has ended.
For anyone else seeing this, I was told that it's best to get your requests for recommendations in around spring break, which is when teachers are the least busy with letters.
Remember to be polite when asking! Good luck
I've been advised to request letters at least a month or two before the deadline. When you ask, be sure to give them a copy of your high school resume in case they don't know you as well. The best teachers to ask are the ones you had in your junior year because your teachers in senior year will not know you as well, and the teachers from your sophomore year may not remember you well. Good luck!
As others have said, ask teachers as soon as possible if they would be willing to write you a letter of recommendation. Teachers generally write recommendations on a first come, first serve basis, so asking now will put yours at the top of their to do list. Even if they do not get to writing your recommendation right away, you can always check in with them at the end of the summer and then more frequently once the school year begins.
The most important thing to tell them is what date your recommendations are due. Beyond that, teachers greatly appreciate recommendation outlines - this can be in the form of a bullet-point list of details. Personal qualities, activities outside the classroom, and your intellectual interests are all good things to mention. Hope this helps!
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If I think that the teacher already knows enough info about me, is it still necessary for me to give them a resume.....