By Robert Yates
I recently spoke with a student who was unsure of how to ask a teacher for a letter of recommendation.
This anxiety is common, but it can be alleviated by understanding that the strongest letters of recommendation reflect a strong teacher-student relationship over time.When I said this, the student looked confused.
I tried a different strategy, asking, “Who do you want to write your letter of recommendation, and why?”
After a few seconds of reflection, she said, “I think I’ll ask my biology teacher because I want to study biology in college.”
“Okay,” I responded, “but I also know you have a great relationship with your math teacher, and he also leads a club you’re in.” I continued, “Often recommenders can provide better, richer details about you if they know you well and across contexts.”
I went on to explain that a letter of recommendation should speak to an applicant’s character and academic prowess. Learn more about that here.
Suddenly, the student grasped my point: “My math teacher could talk a lot about me and my interests,” she reflected.
“Yes!” I replied. From there we were able to discuss more easily how to go about asking for a letter of recommendation.
Just like my student, many people find themselves stuck or overly anxious in asking for a letter of recommendation. I encourage students to think about the strongest, most positive relationships they have with teachers, then reflect on times they have asked those teachers for help. Once students establish clearly in their minds who currently cheers for them and their academic and personal development, students often find it more natural to then ask directly for support in the form of a letter of recommendation.
On one level, a letter of recommendation request is simply asking for help. On another level, asking a teacher for a letter of recommendation is an opportunity to continue building a relationship with a mentor, who will be able to help you continue to refine why you’re applying to college and what you hope to get out of college once you arrive.
To alleviate stress, as well as to help you think about the aspects of asking for a letter of recommendation, keep these tips in mind:
Keep your initial email requesting a letter precise and concise
Your initial email requesting a letter of recommendation is crucial to the college application process, but if you follow a general outline, it need not induce stress. Remember, you’ve already established that you are asking a teacher who already supports you to write this letter.
When students ask how to structure a request for a letter of recommendation, I suggest the following outline:
- A polite greeting and a well-wish
- One concise, declarative sentence explaining that you are asking for a college letter of recommendation
- One precise statement of your academic and personal interests in college
- Your earliest college application deadline and high school-specific instructions for submitting letters of recommendation
- Gratitude and excitement of future correspondence.
You’ll notice that this outline reflects an email, which is brief and to the point. Most likely your teacher will receive many requests for letters of recommendation, so by writing an email that is precise and concise you communicate you have a clear idea of what you are asking, why you are asking it, and – importantly! – that you value your potential recommender’s time.
What does this email really look like, though? Check out the following template of an essay modeled from the aforementioned outline:
Dear Ms./Mr./Dr. (LAST NAME),
I hope you are well. I am writing to ask if you would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for my college applications. I am interested in pursuing my interests in [ENTER SUBJECT OR FIELD OF STUDY] because…
My first application deadline is [ENTER DATE]. As a reminder, the instructions for submitting a letter of recommendation at our school are…
Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
This email, first, states clearly what you are asking for and why. Second, it provides your teacher a record of your request, which significantly decreases the risk of your teacher forgetting he or she has agreed to write a letter. Third, and I think most significantly, this email demonstrates how you are planning for the next step in your personal and academic journey. It says to the teacher, “Look! This student possesses a clear sense of what she wants and where she is going!”
Continue the conversation during office hours, lunch, or before or after school
You’ve sent the letter in the spring of junior year. Your teacher has agreed to write your letter of recommendation. Now what?
My students are often surprised when I tell them that after their teacher has agreed to write a letter of recommendation, they should regularly check-in to keep the recommender up-to-date on their developments in the college application process.
“Once a month or so,” I say, “drop by your teacher’s classroom during his or her office hours to discuss the colleges you have visited, your progress on the college essay, what you’re really hoping for out of your college experience, and books and projects you’re most excited about these days.”
At first, students respond with a quizzical look. “Why do you want me to do that?” they say with their eyes.
My answer returns to my earlier point that the best letters emerge from a positive relationship, where the recommender can speak to the applicant’s academic abilities and character. Here, I’m simply adding another important ingredient: time.
I explain that by continuing to talk with a teacher over the course of month, a student will build a stronger, more nuanced relationship with the teacher. The teacher, in turn, will be able to mention how his student wrote to him early and began talking about his hopes and dreams for college, which reflects an applicant who plans ahead, communicates well, and understands that positive, professional relationships are essential in the adult world.
Even if your teacher does not hold regular office hours, you can find time to briefly update your teacher on your college plans during lunch or before or after school. This is an exciting time, your teacher will be excited to learn about your plans!
Final Reflections
We all know that the college application process extends for months, and can be arduous and at times stressful, but it should not be solitary. In fact, a letter of recommendation functions as a way of showing how an applicant is part of a wider network of people, which expects great things from the applicant now and in the future.
Do yourself a favor and formally start the conversation about college with a teacher you know well and would like to continue to learn from. By talking about your personal and academic hopes and interests over time with your teacher, you take an important step in demonstrating a maturity and drive colleges search for in applicants.
Oh, and you’ve just checked one more thing off your college application list.
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