Letters of Rec from Teachers

Be sure to thank your teachers and your guidance counselors. After all, they wrote letters of rec on your behalf.

After students receive their college admissions decisions, they often forget to thank their teachers and guidance counselors. These are the people who made your dream possible. These are the people who often took time out of their free summer days to write letters of recommendation on your behalf. They’re not getting paid to write these letters of rec. They’re doing it because they care, because they want to help you pursue your dreams. How wonderful is that? If you feel like teachers and guidance counselors are simply expected to write these letters on your behalf, you should reevaluate immediately. They do it out of the kindness of their heart!

And so right after you learn of  your acceptance, go out and get a card. Write a really thoughtful “thank you” note. Let your teachers and guidance counselors know what they mean to you, how they’ve influenced your life, and how they’ll always influence who you are and where you go in life. How incredible would it be for a teacher to receive a note like that? Just think about it. Teachers don’t make millions from teaching. Many do it — at least in part — to make the world a better place, to make a difference on the lives of young people. Let your teachers and your guidance counselor know that, for you, they made a major difference.

Let them know how appreciate you are. If you can, buy them a gift that’s meaningful to them. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on the gift. Get something from the heart. But that note will be most important so spend a good amount of time crafting it. Even do revision after revision if you have to (like you did with your college admissions essays). Think about that final scene in “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” Think about how touched Mr. Holland was when generations of students returned to the school to thank him for making their lives better. Be sure to thank the Mr. Hollands in your life and you should start with those who wrote your letters of recommendation. As in right now if you haven’t already done so!