Recommendation Letters
Soliciting strong letters of recommendation is mostly about etiquette. By the time you get around to thinking about asking your teachers to write a letter on your behalf, it's too late to rewind the clock and pay more attention in class, participate more in discussions, study harder, and spend more time writing your essays. But it's not too late to leave a positive impression. The way you ask your teacher for a letter can make a profound difference in how enthusiastic s/he is when writing it. Teachers are inundated with letter requests every year! Make writing your letter a pleasure rather than a duty.
Thought ExerciseImagine you are an 11th-grade English teacher and you have 2 former students whose grades are the same. Both ask you to write a letter and both hope to get into Pomona. The first student makes a point to go to your office, discuss their college ambitions, politely ask if you would consider writing a letter on their behalf, offers a resume along with samples of previous work to refresh your memory, conveys to you how perfect Pomona would be for them, and gives you plenty of time to write the rec. The other casually passes you in the hallway between periods a week before the rec is due, asks in a way that assumes a "yes," and assumes you have done little but think of that student since the year s/he was in their class. Which letter would you spend more time on?
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Assemble Your FilesBefore you approach your teachers:
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Best PicsHow do you pick which teachers to ask? First of all, make sure to follow exactly the requirements of each college. Some schools ask for 1 letter, but others require 3. Remember that the class you earned the best grade in is not necessarily the best teacher to be your recommender. Colleges already have your transcripts, so they can see in which classes you earned an A. Rather than grade, the best determinant is your relationship with your teacher. You need to have a *glowing* letter of recommendation to stand out. If the teacher knows you as a person both in and out of the classroom, they will be able to write with detailed enthusiasm. Teacher-coaches, teachers you've taken more than one class from, and teachers who helped you fall in love with the subject matter are good bets.
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