Getting Your Strongest Letters of Recommendation
The two most important things you can do this spring before school gets out (or before guidance counselors are out of touch for the summer) are these:
Meet with your high school college/guidance counselor
Meet with your counselor to ensure you have done what you need for your counselor and understand how you will coordinate the college application process with your counselor in the fall. You likely have a survey to fill out for your guidance counselor, and you need to know how your high school’s college admissions software works (Naviance/SCOIR/Cialfo). Schools vary, so defer to your guidance office for specific tasks and timelines. Typical guidance office checklist:
Set up of software (Naviance/SCOIR/Cialfo) with login/password
Student survey for guidance counselor
Parent survey for guidance counselor
Draft list of colleges of interest in software
Teachers requested for letters of recommendation in software
FERPA waived in software
Ask teachers for letters of recommendation
Although most teachers will not write letters until fall, they will fill their rosters now, so secure your spot for next fall by asking in person.
Don’t forget to follow up by sending along a brag sheet to support them in writing your letter.
Read on for our FAQs on letters of recommendation: from whom, when, and how to get the best ones:
Frequently asked questions
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 you will use your discretion to find the best match for your needs.
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 core academic teachers (the magic five are history, language arts, mathematics, science, and foreign language) in two different areas, e.g. one STEM and one ELA (Note that MIT still requires this). 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 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.
How can I help a teacher write a substantive letter of recommendation? What is a brag sheet?
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,it’s important to ask the teacher how to best share more information about yourself. Some will have a form or survey of their own for the student to fill out, others will gather information using a survey in the school’s software (SCOIR/Naviance), while others will not 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.
Click here for a free template for 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, and thank your teachers after you get into college.
A handwritten note is a beautiful way to express your gratitude.
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 and are in addition to, not in place of, letters from teachers of core academic subjects.
