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2 years ago
Admissions Advice

How should I go about asking teachers and councelors for letters of recommendation?
Answered

Hello, as it says in the question above, I have no idea how to go about asking for letters of recommendation whether it's for an honors society or for college admissions. When I think about recommendation letters I really want the ones I am written about me to be personalized and show who I truly am. The one thing I don't know is what information should I provide the person I want to write a letter to me. Is there anything I should be doing to make the letter-writing process easier for them? I also do not know if I should be close or have had them as a teacher to consider them to write me a letter of recommendation. Anything you guys know about receiving one or the process of asking for one would be very helpful.

Thanks for your consideration and hope you have a wonderful day!

9th
collegeadmissions
recommendationletters
teachersrecommendationletter
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3 answers

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Accepted Answer
2 years ago

Asking teachers and counselors for letters of recommendation can be a nerve-wracking experience, but there are a few things you can do to make the process smoother and more successful.

Choose the right people: Consider which teachers or counselors know you well and can speak positively about your academic performance, character, and potential. You may want to choose people who have taught you in a subject related to your college major or future career path.

Ask in advance: Give your teachers and counselors plenty of time to write your recommendation letter. They may be busy with other commitments, so it's best to ask them at least a few weeks or even a month in advance of the deadline.

Make a polite request: Approach your teacher or counselor in person if possible or by email if necessary. Be polite and express your appreciation for their time and help. Explain why you're asking for a recommendation and what you hope to achieve.

Provide necessary information: Make sure to provide your teacher or counselor with all the necessary information about the program or scholarship you're applying for, including the application deadline, requirements, and any specific topics that the recommendation letter should address.

Follow up: Once your teacher or counselor agrees to write a recommendation letter, make sure to thank them again and follow up with them a few days before the deadline to make sure they have everything they need.

Remember to be respectful and appreciative of your teachers and counselors throughout the process. They are doing you a favor, and it's important to show gratitude for their time and effort in writing a letter of recommendation.

Hope this helps!

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2 years ago

You should ask for recommendation letters from teachers you've had in past years because these teachers will know more about you because you spent an entire semester (or year, depends on the scheduling) with them. They know how you act, your grades, and you as a person. Also, ask teachers this specific question : "Are you willing to write a GOOD recommendation letter for me?" because you really don't want someone to start you letter with "I didn't know this person very well but....". That is called the holy killer of all recommendation letters.

Something that you should tell the teacher beforehand is the type of program you want to apply to (summer program, honors society, college). Be specific in the type of program because that will guide the teachers as to what they should include.

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1
a year ago

Asking for Rec. Letters from teachers or mentors can be quite nerve-wracking. Trust me, I know this. I'm a rising senior, and I've personally been hesitant to ask. But here's some advice:

Choose correctly: Think which teachers, coaches, mentors, etc. know you well and most importantly can speak well about your academic abilities, character, and future potential. If they hesitate to talk well about you, or they straight up dislike you, don't go asking them.

Ask in advance: Make sure to ask in advance, especially if you know that teacher is busy or has other rec. letters to write.

Be humble: This is the most important in my opinion. Don't go strutting in demanding a rec. letter. This may seem obvious enough, but trust me, at my school, you'd be amazed with how people "ask" for rec. letters. While email is good, if you can do face to face, DO IT! It's far better to ask In-person than via email. In an email, the person who you're requesting may misunderstand you. In-person, you can wash over any misunderstandings. Once again, be humble about it. Sit down with them and request a rec. letter. Say something like: "It would be really helpful/great if you could do this" Express gratitude for them doing this, because they don't need to do it. They're doing it out of goodwill to you.

Give them information: Tell them more about yourself, your career ideas, your EC's, all that stuff. Also make sure to tell them what aspects of your personality you want them to focus on. For example, I wanted my APUSH teacher to focus on my determination and hard work. They'll try to cover all the good aspects of your personality in the letter (at least if they like you. If they don't... well that's a completely different story), but if you tell them what aspect to focus on, they will be able to write a better letter for you, and colleges will see one major aspect of your personality.

Follow up: Once they agree, just follow up a couple times. Make sure not to be rude though!

These are just my couple of grains of salt.

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