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The Teacher Recommendation. Part one in the Application ProcessAug 16 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Asking for a recommendation from a teacher is easy and crucial to your application. In talking with high school seniors this summer, I almost went bananas when I realized not many of them were really prepared for the application process. But then I remembered that I was the same way. Given the opportunity, I would have done a lot of things differently regarding applying to college. This is part one in the application process. Hopefully, those who are applying to college will be better prepared than I was! Congratulations. You're now a high school senior. You've hopefully done some research and have an idea of where you want to go. You have a list of potiential colleges and universities who you want to impress with your ability to burp the alphabet and drive in reverse. They will truly benefit from your fluency in pig latin and recipes of chocolate brownies. Seriously though, you want to make a mark and make an impression of the admissions office. Part of making your statement sans red carpet and tiara is the teacher recommendation. You're filling out the application but this part isn't written by you. And colleges will take notice of the teacher recommendation because 1. You didn't write it and therefore can't fudge (but you really wouldn't lie, right?) 2. It's another opinion of yourself besides you're own. and 3. It's a teacher and mostly everyone trusts a teacher. (Hopefully) Most colleges and universities require two different recommendations. So how do you go about obtaining these? You can’t write it yourself obviously. So you want to find a teacher that knows you well, has seen you perform as a student and who will write an honest and complete recommendation. Here are some tips. Be smart about who you ask When obtaining my recommendations, I asked two English teachers. One had me for a student my freshman year and again my junior year so he saw my growth as a student and as a person. We also got along famously and I really enjoyed his class, worked hard and participated. The next person I asked was my journalism teacher and our newspaper advisor. She and I worked together for 3 years on the newspaper and by my senior year, as business manager, she and I met often to discuss business. I thought she’d be a good one to write a recommendation because she not only knew my writing skills but saw my business abilities as well. When choosing a teacher to ask, be smart about it. Ask someone who knows you as a student and knows how hard you work and how you perform. Choose someone you get along with and someone you feel confident asking a recommendation from. If you are thinking about a certain field of study, it can sometimes be helpful to have a teacher from that similar department, write your recommendation. Especially if the school is credited for its certain academics. When asking, simply ask them if they would write a recommendation for you. There’s no special way to ask and you don’t have to sugar coat the question. This will be good practice for when you work and you have to ask for a reference from an employer. Be aware of the fact that you will probably not see the recommendation. Once it’s sent, it’s gone. Most teachers don’t show their students what they’ve written and I wouldn’t ask to see. So it’s important to ask the right person since you probably won’t be seeing what’s written. My chemistry and physics teacher told all of us that if we asked him for a recommendation, he’d be brutally honest. A lot of teachers are like that. They will be straight up, in your face, blatantly honest. Although I got along with him very well, I wasn’t the best chemistry or physics student and so I didn’t ask him to write me a recommendation. Timing As soon as I figured out whom I wanted to ask, I asked immediately. Both teachers I asked were popular and I knew they’d have many people asking them to write a recommendation. There were about 350 students in my graduating class and I’d say about 95% of us were applying to college and required a recommendation. Compare that with maybe 70 potential teachers to ask. Imagine being a popular teacher and having to write close to a hundred recommendations on your own spare time! That’s insane. So ask quickly and don’t wait! I’d say no later than a month and a half after your school begins. I didn’t want to wait until the last minute and wanted to make sure they had plenty of time to write a good recommendation. And I made sure to ask them months before my application was due so that they’d have plenty of time to write a recommendation. Figure out which colleges you’re going to apply to early. The earlier the better. Then ask your teachers to write a recommendation early as well to give them plenty of time. Giving them plenty of time gives the a cushion and you’ll feel better knowing they’ll have time. Keeping the Communication Open Once you’ve asked the teacher to write a recommendation for you and they’ve agreed, keep on talking to your teacher throughout the year. Give them the necessary materials. Give them an addressed and stamped envelope for every school that requires a recommendation. I also gave copies of my personal essay, transcript, application, and examples of past work. With so many recommendations to write, this helps them remember you as a student and they can use the materials to write a recommendation. Stop by every now and then just to say hello. This isn’t kissing butt, it’s simply staying informed and reminding that teacher you still exist. And make smart decisions. Because they can revoke the recommendation you write. They can call the school after they send the recommendation in and tell them they’d like to change their recommendation. So if you’ve been flawless until now, don’t screw it up. I got into a bit of a dilemma regarding the finances of my school newspaper. Although I wasn’t specifically to blame for it, it was my responsibility to solve the problem. My advisor got extremely upset (actually, more so than she should have been) and actually threatened to call the schools I was applying to and to tell them she was taking back her recommendation. This was extremely harsh in my case, but the reality is that it can happen. So play it safe senior year. Thank You At the end of the school year, I gave my two teachers a small orchid and a note of thanks for writing a recommendation. You don’t have to give the teacher a gift, but a note of thanks is crucial. They just wrote at least 500 words about you and that recommendation might be the “it” factor of whether or not you get into X school. So thank them. Overall Once you’ve asked your teachers and provided the necessary papers and information, it’s pretty much out of your hands. Now it’s time to concentrate on your applications and your first semester grades. Good luck!  |
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