It’s time to start talking about teacher recommendations for college. Why am I talking about this so early? Well, I typically advise students to ask teachers for recommendation at the end of Junior year, rather than waiting until Senior year like everybody else. Most teachers only have time to write a limited number of recommendations, and if your student is asking a popular teacher, they may fill up early, so getting your request in ahead of time can be helpful. Most colleges ask for a counselor recommendation and one or two from a teacher. Generally, teachers in your most current coursework are preferred. That means, it’s critical to be building good relationships with your teachers now. Unless otherwise specified, the priorities for asking for teacher recommendations are:
Ask someone who knows you beyond your grades and attendance and can speak to your character. Almost all teachers will ask you to fill out “brag sheets” so that they can learn more about you and what you do outside of the classroom, but it’s best that they can speak from experiences they have had with you as well.
As I mentioned above, ask someone who taught you recently, and even better, a college level course, such as Honors or AP level coursework. Sophomore year teachers are not ideal, unless you happen to be taking AP US History, AP English or AP Calc in Sophomore year, which most students aren’t. Senior year teachers will not have had the chance to know you well enough by the time you need the recommendation.
Teachers from core academic subjects. You should target one from English/History/Social Studies/Foreign Language and one from a STEM class. Elective classes are generally not ideal unless they are fulfilling a core academic requirement or it is relevant to the course of study you are applying to in college.
Keep in mind that teachers are not required to write letters of recommendations. They are volunteering their personal time to write letters for as many as 20-25 students. They are doing you a favor! Do not take your request lightly, be professional in how you ask, and show appreciation.
If you haven’t already, NOW is the time to think about taking an active role in your education: take on a lead role on a group project, speak to a teacher after class and ask questions or get constructive feedback on a paper, or sit in front of the class and participate. However, teachers know when you aren’t being genuine, so only act with good intentions in the genuine pursuit of knowledge and learning. Don’t just show up - engage!