How many do most colleges require?
Is it bad to ask a teacher of an elective for a letter?
(ex. i plan on asking my AP history teacher because I plan on majoring in history and then i thought about asking my photo teacher which is an elective course because i think i might want to minor in photography)
How should you approach them about writing a letter?
is it bad if you don’t waive your right to view the letter before it is sent?
bump…
anyone??
usually 2-3 recs, depending on where you apply. two is perfect, most colleges ask for no more than two. depending on where you apply, three might be okay.
I’m not the admissions committee, but I bet that a letter by your AP teacher would carry A LOT more weight. I would get two AP teachers that you have had to write you the letters (that’s what I did). I think that they can probably attest for you at a much deeper level than an elective.
I went over and asked “Hey (insert teacher), I really enjoyed your (insert class name) class last year and I learned a lot. I was wondering if you could write me a recommendation letter for college applications”. Our school has us fill out a sheet of paper that helps the teacher write the letter and if your school doesn’t ask for that, you should ask the teacher if s/he needs something like that.
I waived my right. I felt like I had enough confidence in my teachers that they would write me a beneficial letter and by the time I graduated from college, I would probably not care what the hell someone thought of me when I was in high school.
Waive your right to see it. Some teachers will still show it to you, but by signing, the school knows that the teacher was able to write an honest recommendation without worrying about your feelings.
how do you ask for them? im really quiet in class, so i feel awkward doing it…
also…when do you ask?
im a junior now and a lot of people apparently have already asked their teachers.
its kind of annoying cause i was planning on asking one of my senior year teachers (i had her for bio in freshman year and am taking AP next year so i thought she would be able to discuss how ive changed as a student)
other than that i cant really think of anyone that I would be comfortable asking.
I asked for mine around March of junior year. All you need to do is politely approach the teacher and ask if they’d be willing to write your letter of recommendation for colleges.
It’s basically an unwritten requirement that you waive your rights to see it. You also shouldn’t ask your teacher to show it to you. You can look at it if they offer, but don’t pester them about it.
Writing a thank-you note is also a nice gesture, and can act as a reminder to do it depending on when you ask.
Make sure you thank them if they agree to write your letter, and don’t beg if they say no, as it often means they don’t think they’ll be able to write a good enough letter for you, which happens if they don’t know you well enough.
One point I would make is that if you apply to a college that says teacher recommendations are optional, DO THEM ANYWAY. Get the best ones you can. If they are optional then at least one can come from a music or art teacher who may have a better perspective on your natural ability. This will help you “stand out from the crowd” against other students who may be only doing the minimum in applying.
My S failed to do this at a school where he could have gotten a recommendation letter from the next door neighbor of the chairman of the department where he was applying. He could have gotten one from a middle school teacher whose father is a senior faculty member. Result: he got accepted at the college, but not the more selective department for the major he wanted.
He also applied to two colleges that required one recommendation. He got both of them from his Calculus teacher. Not only is he a nice guy who we thought would really write a thoughtful recommendation, but we figured the colleges would see that he can handle advanced math even though he isn’t applying to a math-oriented major. Plus, his math score was the weakest on his SAT/ACT so we thought hearing from the math teacher could help make up for that. Result: he has been accepted at one college, in the department he wanted, and is still waiting for the other one.
It is always helpful to attend an Open House or talk directly with someone in Admissions at the schools you are applying to. They will usually point you in the right direction to get the right teacher recommendations.
My D got some of THE BEST rec letters I have ever seen, got into NU and is now graduated, so they obviously worked. Is it ok, or not to give copies of these same letters to son to give to teachers for “recomendation template” letters? Good idea, or Bad idea? (It is the same high school, but my son has different teachers for the most part.)
Northwestern U. student’s opinion.
Two is a good number. Three for some schools. Rank your letters in order of importance, and don’t send the third one to schools that ask for only two. Just go up before or after class, and ask for one. It is good to ask in advance of when you need them by a few weeks at least. I would strongly avoid using templates or cookie cutter letters. A few teachers will even be so bold as to have students prepare and outline or first draft. Do not do this. Your teacher will do a better job most likely. It will be personal and custom-fit to match your style, and probably complement the rest of your app well. A generic letter (which you would write) will be spotted right away and not taken seriously.
Since you get two at least2 for the apps (at least that is what I recall), I would recommend using at least one teacher of the subject closest to what you want to do. I am an engineering student, so my primary letter was my physics teacher. Secondary letter should be something that makes you stand out, so if the teacher knows you well, it can probably be subject.
Waive your right to see it! The admissions committee will question the honesty of the letters otherwise, because then they think the teacher will write a good rec letter to avoid hurting your feelings. If they don’t trust your rec letter, it does no good.
should i do letters from teachers in completely different areas?
I’m thinking about doing my AP US teacher (and I want to study history in college) and my honors american lit teacher. but are those too similar?
How much does it matter from which teachers you get recomendations. I’m an IB student and I do great in all my subjects, but I wonder whether taking a recomendation from my Chem SL or Geography SL teachers is a better idea then taking it from my native language teacher, a subjest that I have od HL.
LoL.
I’m afraid that one of the teachers that I’ll ask to write my recs won’t write me a good one because it is not my best class, but he likes me. What kind of recommendation could he write in order to persuade the Admissions boards, or will he not write a good one? ;x
Get Recs in subjects relating to your intended major and where your teachers know you well.