Teacher Letters of Recommendation

Let your teachers know in advance of the summer months that you would love to have letters of recommendation from them. Give them the time to write them! It only makes sense (photo credit: Luc Viatour).

Rising seniors, as you’re finishing up your junior year, it’s time to start planning for the college admissions process. One thing you can be doing right now is approaching the teachers who you hope will be writing your letters of recommendation in the fall. Now is the time. Not in the fall. Now. Why’s that? Because teachers are overwhelmed during the school year. They’re busy writing lesson plans, grading tests, and spending time with you. Many teachers prefer to write their letters of recommendation over the summer months when they don’t have much to do and aren’t under a whole lot of stress.

The summer is such an easy time for teachers to knock out their letters of recommendation. And when teachers have a lot of time to write their letters of recommendation, you can bet that these letters will inherently be stronger for it. Do you think a teacher will write a better letter in between prepping a class for a midterm and grading a pop quiz or do you think a teacher will write a better letter when they can sit back, relax, and drink an iced tea? The answer is most definitely the latter. We know because we’ve seen it time and again. There is an advantage to giving your teachers plenty of time to write their letters of recommendation.

And your teachers will appreciate you for it. You showed a respect for them and their time. That’s something that, believe it or not, could even come across in your teacher letters of recommendation! So ask your teachers (and always ask nicely) if they’d write a letter of recommendation on your behalf now. Don’t wait. There’s absolutely no point in waiting if you already know which teachers you intend to ask. Give them the chance to write your letter on their time, in the comfort of their surroundings. It’s the best way to go.