Getting Teacher Letters of Rec

It’s important that you provide your teachers with ample time to write letters of recommendation on your behalf. Or you’ll end up with template letters. We know because we’ve seen these template letters. And they are terrible (photo credit: Yeungb).

If you are a rising high school senior and haven’t done so already (which would have been ideal while you were still in school), now is a great time to be asking teachers for a letter of recommendation. Approach them in the fall for a letter of recommendation and your recommendation might not turn out as good as if you had approached them in the spring or early summer. Why’s that? Because teachers have more time over the summer. They’re not busy preparing lesson plans. They’re not busy grading tests.

When your teachers have ample time to work on your letter of recommendation, your recommendation typically comes out better for it. Teachers will be less likely to use a stale template that everyone and their mother knows is a template. Typically, templates contain a whole lot of adjectives about a student that mean absolutely nothing. But when teachers have time, anecdotes work their way into these letters of recommendation and it’s in these anecdotes where a student can really shine.

You don’t want a template letter of recommendation, do you? So ask your teachers now for letters if you haven’t done so already. Be sure to ask kindly. They are taking the time out of their vacation to help you get into college. They don’t have to do this. It’s not a job requirement. They’re doing it because they want to help you. Remember that as you craft your email asking them to do you this favor. It’s very important that your phrasing reflects this.

Have a question about getting teacher letters of rec? Post your question in the Comments section below and we’ll be sure to get back to you.