Which teachers should I ask for a recommendation from? How should I ask?

Shrmpngrtz
Thu, 18 May 2017 17:59:14 +0000

Agree with @happy1, but I would like to add a few more points

1. Be careful about asking recommendations from freshman/sophomore year teachers - Many schools specifically ask for teachers from either Junior or Senior year.

2. How to ask for recommendations. I think @mikemac is giving you good advice. Most junior/senior year teachers know that students will ask them to write college recommendations. You're not the only person who is going to ask them. My kid knew the three teachers he was going to ask, but he still sat down with each one of them and talked to them about which colleges he was looking at, why he was applying to them, what he wanted to pursue in college, and so on.

3. IMHO, in an ideal situation, the recommendations from the teachers should not send essentially identical messages.
Teacher 1: Mangoeslover works really hard and is a great person.
Teacher 2: I enjoyed having Mangoeslover in my class. Diligent and pleasant.
You miss the opportunity to show different sides of yourself.

4. My kid can also be described as "not overly talkative/open" as well, so I understand where you're coming from. Nonetheless, I would recommend that you make an effort to let your French and Gov teachers get to know you better through the extracurriculars you mentioned - show them who you are as a person outside of class. It will make their recommendations more personal and authentic.

5. Is there a specific reason you would ask your Lang teacher? You wrote, "I don't talk to them, and I know for sure that they're closer to other students in my period since they talk more regularly." It doesn't sound like you're very confident that they could write a good rec for you.

6. Lastly, you may want to think about the reliability of the teachers. At my kid's school, there is an incredibly popular AP English teacher. Every year, some of his best students ask him for recommendations. And every year, he waits until the very last day to write their recommendations. A few years ago, he dropped the ball completely because he thought he had until November 1 for Oxford. He gives students ulcers. If this type of teacher is going to write you a stellar recommendation, then you should obviously go with them, but if you can avoid it, you may want to do so.