Teacher letters of recommendation are very important in the highly selective college admissions process. Don’t forget to thank your guidance counselor and teachers for writing their letters of recommendation on your behalf! Too many students forget to do this. Too many students upset their teachers and guidance counselor by taking their time for granted, by not expressing gratitude for the time they put in out of their busy schedules to write letters on your behalf. It’s a big faux pas, one that our students at Ivy Coach are taught never to make.

Do you know how easy it is for a teacher or guidance counselor to change some content in your letter of recommendation? They’re the ones who submit these letters. It’s not like you read them. They can write what they want. They’ve got all that power. So why make the foolish mistake of not demonstrating your appreciation for all that they’ve done for you? You shouldn’t only thank them for fear they’ll change your letter of recommendation for the worse. You should also thank them because they did something really nice for you. In life, when someone does something very nice for you, you should thank them and try to do something very nice for them back — or at least pay it forward like Haley Joel Osment did in “Pay It Forward.”

So say thank you! In fact, write thank you as well. Write a really nice note to your teachers and guidance counselor. Let them know how much it means to you for them to have done this on your behalf. Let them know that they’ve touched you and had an impact on your life. It’s pretty simple social psychology. Get it right! And, while you’re here, check out this newsletter on Effective Letters of Recommendation.