If your teacher's face looks like Grumpy Cat's when you ask for a recommendation letter, she might not write you the best one. Generally speaking, no recommendation letter is going to be outrightly critical or accusatory. That being said, there can still be bad letters of recommendation. The reason that they're bad is usually that they're mediocre, generic, and don't add anything special to your story.
One major pitfall for letters of rec is that they simply repeat a student's resume. If a letter states your grades, activities, and honors, then it's basically a reiteration of the rest of your application. As discussed above, a letter should shed light on your character and personality. Otherwise, it does little to differentiate you from other applicants with similar academic and extracurricular profiles. Another quality of poor recommendations is that they don't provide specific anecdotes or examples.
Listing adjectives like hard-working, driven, or generous is not that convincing. Instead, the recommender should describe situations in which you demonstrated these qualities. Like the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Also discussed above is the power of a high ranking. Conversely, a mediocre ranking , like calling a student "above average" or "relatively hard-working" could do more harm than good. On a similar note, a short letter, like less than a page, could suggest that the recommender doesn't know a student too well or doesn't have much to say in her favor.
Some students ask a principal, department head, or even someone famous or in goverment to provide them with a letter of recommendation. While this kind of letter can stand out if the recommender knows the student well, it won't necessarily impress admissions officers just by virtue of the person's authority or fame.
This is only a good idea if you have a good relationship with the person. Otherwise, it could seem like meaningless name dropping. Considering what makes a letter good and what makes a letter bad, does anyone come to mind that could write you a strong, specific, and enthusiastic letter of recommendation?
Now that you know what makes a letter of recommendation especially strong, you can think about who you know that could fulfill these expectations.
The first deciding factor is the requirements of your application, as these can differ from school to school. Many colleges ask for one letter of recommendation from and a teacher and one evaluation, often called the "secondary school report," from your counselor.
More selective schools, including Ivy League schools, want two teacher recommendations and one from your counselor. Dartmouth and Davidson are unique in that they ask for a peer recommendation from a close friend, classmate, or relative. Finally, some students choose to send an additional supplemental letter, like from a coach or employer, if they feel their teachers or counselor don't know them very well or it can add an important dimension. Schools typically want to see letters of recommendation from teachers of core subjects , like English, math, science, and history.
If you're applying for a certain major, then it's a good idea to get a recommendation from a relevant teacher. Students applying to art schools should ask their painting, drawing, or photography teachers.
Once you know the requirements of your schools, you can start to think about whose class you did well in. We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies.
We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools , from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Teachers are in an especially good position to comment on your academic skills and collaboration with classmates.
Schools selecting for academic ability especially like to see that students have a love of learning and strong intellectual curiosity. In choosing teachers, think about whose class you excelled in, in terms of grades, participation, and effort. Which teachers taught you a lot or inspired you? Did you impress them with your commitment to group work or interest in taking on extra projects?
Did you surpass expectations by taking on a sustained project, like a long term research paper or thesis? Did you show growth or effort in an area that didn't come naturally to you? Here is what you need to know about choosing teachers for letters of recommendation one year into a pandemic:.
Sara Harberson is the founder of Application Nation, which provides personalized advice to college applicants and their families, and Admissions Revolution, a free, on demand video membership that demystifies college admissions. Application Nation. Admissions Revolution. Privacy Policy. Asking Teachers for Recommendation Letters— Edition. As spring is upon us and the end of the school year is within reach, my attention shifts to high school juniors.
Marjorie G. She has been a high school counselor since StudyPoint designed this forum to connect parents with the most knowledgeable College Admissions Experts in the Industry and provide answers to the most common and difficult college admissions questions.
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Our Privacy Policy: we are a professional service and we take our clients' privacy seriously. None of this information will ever be shared or sold. Who should I ask for my Letter of Recommendation? You will need to differentiate between letters of recommendaiton from teachers and letters of recommendaiton from individuals who have not taught the student in an academic area.
Larry B. Response: Can I suggest not rushing into requests for letters of recommendation from teachers? Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you choose a recommender: Is there an aspect of my character that is not well revealed in my application? Does this Math teacher know about my unrevealed strengths because of a particular experience we shared?
Did this teacher supervise my after school tutoring of weaker math students? Have I run a mile with this teacher after school and did we sit together afterwards, stretching and talking? Did we get around to talking about the ways in which mathematicians have made a difference? Did another teacher I could consider teach a class that was obviously not my best? Nondorf Vice President of Enrollment and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid University of Chicago Ideally, your college recommendation letters should come from high school teachers who know you well in an academic subject.
Some colleges may let you submit an additional recommendation above the number they require; this is an opportunity to let a club advisor, employer, or someone from your community speak to your strengths. A quality recommendation letter will speak volumes more than several vague ones ever could. Nancy G. It may be the teacher in the subject in which you excelled or even in the one in which you struggled but eventually did well— this will show the admission reader how hard you are willing to work to overcome obstacles.
You may want to have someone write who can speak well of what you have done outside the classroom but is related to what you say is of importance to you in your college application. For example, if leadership or community service is important to you, you could have a sponsor of an organization write about your role in a volunteering group.
This is no longer the case. The most important thing when choosing your recommenders is to choose people who know you well—both in and out of the classroom.
There are some other guidelines as well: You should only ask teachers you've had during junior and senior year of high school and preferably one you've had more than once.
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