this post is really late, but i thought a post about rec letters could be really helpful for future classes !!!
why are rec letters important?
they allow colleges to receive a more in-depth academic profile of you than a transcript or GPA
teachers can directly communicate with a college to advocate for you
these letters are written from a more objective standpoint than your own portrayal of yourself in your application
how do i decide who should write my rec letters?
first, look at your college’s specific requirements for a recommendation letter
this will be found on the college’s undergraduate applications website
ex: some colleges want a one counselor rec and one teacher rec, some want three recs with two teachers and an out-of-school source, etc. you just have to make sure to look
most colleges want two letters of recommendation by two different teachers
should be teachers from your junior/senior years, or one who has taught you for multiple years
i personally would recommend one math/science teacher and one humanities teacher
pick a teacher…
whose class you got a good grade in
whose class you genuinely enjoyed
who knows you on a personal level
who will be able to write a personal, customized letter, not just a generic one. colleges will be able to tell if they actually know you and appreciate you as a student based on their language
who you worked with outside the classroom or in an extracurricular setting (bonus, not required)
when should i ask a teacher for a rec letter?
as soon as possible
seriously, these teachers will be swamped with requests for rec letters. the sooner you ask them the sooner yours will be done and the better it will be
ask your teachers during…
the end of junior year
the summer in between junior and senior year
very early in the fall of senior year
how do i ask a teacher for a rec letter?
there are two ways to ask:
e-mail
pros: you have a digital record of asking them and it’s easier to trade information
cons: the request could easily get lost
in-person
pros: the request is more personal and the teacher is more willing to help when seeing an actual person
cons: you can’t keep reminding them or pestering them, otherwise your teacher will be annoyed
i personally would ask in-person, and then use emails to exchange information or send reminders
once your teacher has accepted your request, send them the following soon after:
a list of colleges they need to send these letters to
any of the colleges’ guidelines or requirements for rec letters
due dates for the rec letters
a résumé (this is just nice for the teacher to have)
any things you want them to explicitly mention in your letter (ex: if you worked really hard on a twenty-page research paper for that class)
anything else they ask for
❔❕okay, now what?
congrats! you just secured yourself some kickass rec letters
continue to gently remind your teacher until the letters are sent, and send more information if they need it
don’t pester or overdo it
your teachers will send their letters to your colleges
if any problems arise, the teacher will fix it (this year my biology teacher accidentally sent the wrong document so she called all the schools to let them know and she was able to reupload my letter)
BREATHE. SMILE. RELAX.
i hope this post is helpful! if you have more questions about rec letters or the college process in general, message me !!!
I’ve heard back from all 3 schools I applied to in some capacity so I’m actually feeling pretty good about my chances of getting accepted into at least one right now
uh basically what i did to get recommendation letters secured for grad school + study abroad? this is like for ….anxious people lol? i researched for HOURS on how to actually go about getting recommendation letters….but there weren’t too many tips for the actual process, just ‘oh! get recs from professors who love you’ haha…
Before you even think of asking…
Do your research: Thinking about graduate school? scholarships? studying abroad? Fulbright? anything that you have to apply to, you’re going to be asked for recommendation letters. this most definitely did NOT occur to me, so I probably added more stress to my plate than I needed to. But yeah….you can’t just get in on your own merit for most things. You need people to vouch for you in the form of rec letters, and most times your applications won’t even be considered without them. PLUS when you DO ask for a recommendation letter, you want to show that you have done some research into whatever you are applying for, and share some of that information with your potential recommender.
Prepare statements of purpose and academic CVs: In order for your recommender to write a letter, they need some background on, well, you! Even if you talk to them often, it’s still nice to have your specific ideas and goals about the program ready and laid out. Plus, they may not know of all your academically-related accomplishments, so detail them in that CV! It’s basically a resume in a different format, but if you get it done early, your recommender may even go over it and send you back suggestions.
Who to ask….
Quality of your recommender: Honestly, you can’t just get any old recommendation letter and hope that’ll fly. Oftentimes when recommendation letters are provided as a side thing (at least for college), they can be pretty basic and impersonal. It’s best to get a letter from someone who has had 1-1 conversations with you where you shared about who you are, not necessarily just what you do. That can add a lot to your letter.
So many options….: It’s actually really okay to ask if your potential recommender feels they can write a strong, POSITIVEletter for you. You don’t want a petty supervisor (or someone with which you butted heads or got a less than stellar grade in their class) writing your letter. If they can’t immediately say yes, then they won’t be golden. Once you weed out the so-so choices, you can focus on the strong candidates.
HOW to ask...
Building rapport: it comes to a point where you really do have to put yourself out there if you want your professor to remember your face. I’ve gone to events and seen professors (future, former, or current) present, and had little small talk convos just to say ‘hey! I’m your student!’. just walking around campus I might run into one, so that’s always a good time to ask questions about things in general (I would save assignment related questions for office hours!). I always email my bilingual professor every week because he doesn’t post the assignment slots ahead of time, and let him know ‘hey! I’ve finished my assignment and want to submit’! Not only is that helping him keep things running, but he’s realizing ‘wow…she’s always finishing her assignments early’. bonus points! I usually spend half an hour in office hour sessions, talking about school, asking questions about their research, going off on tangents …it’s okay to treat your professor as a mentor, they want to see you succeed, so show that you are putting that effort in! It’s also a good chance to practice your language skills with your language professors…
Schedule a talk ahead of time: When you actually ask for rec letters… do NOT just drop in! Show a level of professionalism by emailing your professors ahead of time and asking if you can speak with them regarding grad school/study abroad program, and ask them a question. :-] That’s what I did anyway lol! I didn’t ask for my rec letter officially over email, but face to face.
Set them up: Discuss the program(s) you are interested in, and give them enough detail so that they have a general idea of what you want to get them involved in. Don’t just sit down and ask ‘Can you write me a rec letter?’ but show that you are prepared! If you need to, provide them with pamphlets now.
Just ask!: Okay, now you can literally ‘just ask!’ When I had to ask for rec letters from one of my professors, my CURRENT professor was in his office just chatting with him! That was a bit nerve-wracking, but I just spit out my request before my anxiety took over (I totally wanted to run out of the office). It didn’t really matter that we had an ‘audience’, as he accepted with no problem!
What to do after…
APPLY!: Now that you’ve asked, you have to follow through! Start working on your application if you haven’t done so already, keep researching the process, and keep your recommenders up to date with deadlines, reminders, and additional information you discover. For me, I have to keep my professors up to date with my writing samples, statements of purpose, application process, and deadlines for my study abroad program. Whatever I need to know, they need to know!
um, I hope this is helpful! I can’t really cover the ‘okay I’ve applied and they’ve sent their letters in’ parts because…that hasn’t happened yet! I only asked two weeks ago, but I’ll definitely add onto this post once I can talk about the end results. :-]
One of my college apps is due in roughly 24 hours and I’m dying. Like, I get that I just have to complete an essay and talk about myself, but it’s mentally draining.
3 apps are being submitted in the next 22 hours. Two of them are done, I am just waiting to have people review my essays. One is only 300 words from being done. Either way. I feel like everything’s moving so quickly.
