Targeting the Best Teachers for Letters of Recommendation

Now is a great time for juniors to start thinking about who might be the best teachers to ask for letters of recommendation! As popular teachers can get a lot of these sorts of asks, I encourage students to ask as early as they can, and at the very least before the end of the school year. Putting this ask off until the fall will lead to teachers who don’t have the time, or who are forced to write hurried responses. Approaching teachers in the spring, and getting at least a verbal commitment, will make your senior season less stressful! It may be clear to you already who would be the best fit for those all-important recommendation letters or you might be completely clueless, but either way here are a few things to consider:

• Most schools require at least 1 recommendation letter, while others may require 2, or give you the option of 1 or 2 additional optional letters. DO NOT send more than what is allotted by each individual school! Those requirements can be found on a school’s website, or within the Common App. 

• As such, I recommend students ask at least two core academic teachers (meaning Math, Science, English, History). Asking two gives you a greater chance of getting at least one yes, and, worst case, you have an extra letter you may not need for all of your schools. 

• Recommendation letters should come from a junior year teacher! Unless you are certain you will be in class again next year with a former teacher, you should choose one for whom you will be fresh in their mind as a student. **Bonus points for a teacher you have this year, and who has had you in one or more other classes!

• It is essential these letters come from teachers who know you, both in and outside the classroom to some extent! Is there a teacher whom you’ve hung out with after class or school, or has been involved in one of your extracurricular activities? Someone who has a sense of your personality, passions, or interests? This person might be a great choice!

• I cannot emphasize this enough: you do not need to pick from only the teachers whose classes you got A’s in! If you sat quietly in the back of the room, and breezed through their class, this is not a teacher who is going to have much to say about you! But maybe there’s a teacher whose class you got a B in, but you really struggled for that B? And you demonstrated to that teacher your hard work and perseverance? That is the kind of teacher you want recommending you to a college!

• In case you have schools that will allow additional optional recommendations, think about asking someone outside of your academic environment who might be able to shine a light on other qualities about you; this might be a coach, a private music teacher, the head of an organization you volunteer for, etc. These sorts of letters can round out your application nicely. 

So, key takeaways: think carefully about teachers who can write thoughtful letters about the kind of student/person you are and ask them (ideally in person, or over email if you prefer) as soon as possible! And don’t forget in the busyness of the fall to send them all thank you letters in appreciation, as writing these letters take up a chunk of their valuable time!