Letters of Recommendation: Who, When, and How to Ask
- Lynn Hofstad
- Jul 7
- 4 min read
Letters of recommendation. I remember the ease with which high-school-me assumed a teacher could whip out a letter of recommendation. I never realized the sheer number of recommendations a teacher is asked to write for their students. This is especially true for high school teachers who teach juniors and seniors. And it wasn't until I became a college professor that I realized the effort and time that goes into writing a good letter of recommendation.
Think about how many students in your graduating class, then narrow it to people applying to college, then consider how many teachers there are in your school to write letters of recommendation for all of those students. The number adds up quickly, especially for teachers in core subjects. This is why it is so important to make your requests early and provide the teacher with a brag sheet to make sure they have the information necessary to write a strong letter of recommendation.
Here are some tips to make sure your letter of recommendation is well-prepared, making it one less thing to worry about when it's time to submit your application.
Who Should I ask?
Depending on the colleges you are applying to, you will need one or two letters of recommendation from teachers. There are a couple of key elements to consider when deciding which teachers to ask:
At least one teacher should be from a core academic subject (ELA, math, science, social sciences, or world language). If you choose to submit a second recommendation, you can ask a teacher from any subject, but make sure the primary recommendation is from a core subject teacher.
The teacher should be from a class you took during your junior or senior year. Teachers from earlier years do not have the same insight into you, the student applying, and your academic readiness for college. High school is a time of immense growth, both academically and socially. It's important to ensure that the letter captures this growth.
Ask a teacher who can speak to your intellectual curiosity and perseverance. This means you don't necessarily want to choose the teacher who gave you the highest grade, but rather the one who can speak to your growth in their class and highlight specific examples of your intellectual curiosity.
If you know what you want to study in college, it can be a benefit to choose a teacher who teaches within that subject area. This can help to create a cohesive "story" that your application tells about your educational journey and its future direction.
Most importantly, choose a teacher who will be an advocate for you. You want someone who believes in you and your potential to write your letter of recommendation.
When Should I Ask?
Ideally, before the end of your junior year. Some teachers get so many requests for letters of recommendation that they cap how many letters they will write each year. You don't want to miss out on getting a recommendation from your favorite teacher because you waited too long to ask them (this advice is surprisingly solid for many other aspects of life as well; Carpe Diem!). You also want to give the teacher more than sufficient time to write the letter. Asking by the end of your junior year gives them the opportunity to write the letter over the summer instead of during the craziness of the beginning of the new school year. If you are already into your senior year and haven't yet requested any letters of recommendation, fear not. Just make sure to ask with enough advance warning to give the teacher several weeks, at minimum, to complete the letter before it needs to be submitted.
What Should I Give Them?
Make sure you provide your recommender with a resume to help them point to specific details about you. Even if you are the most amazing, unforgettable student the teacher has had, it can still be hard for them to recall specific details due to the hundreds of other students they have taught in the past couple of years. I have been out of academia for three years and still occasionally get an email request to write a recommendation. I am grateful whenever the student provides me with a resume or updates on what they have been doing since my class, because sometimes I have clear memories of their work...other times, not so much.
In addition to a resume (or in place of a resume), I suggest providing them a "brag sheet." A brag sheet helps provide insight into your educational journey, the story you are telling through your application, and why you have chosen that specific teacher to write a letter for you. Here is the brag sheet template I use for the students I work with, but feel free to adapt it to fit the information that is most important for you to convey. And make sure to give a brief description of your extracurriculars, not just a list.
Letters of Recommendation: Quality Over Quantity
Letters of recommendation can be an important piece of filling in your academic story. The narrative aspect of the letter can describe your academic journey with specific details that can't be gleaned from a transcript. It helps admission committees get to know who you are as a student and gives insight into the qualities that you would bring to the classroom. Therefore, it's important to make sure you have good recommendations lined up.
Remember, more isn't always better, advocacy and quality are what truly matter. Don't get lots of recommendations just to have more quantity or choose someone just because they have an impressive title. Make thoughtful choices. Choose a teacher who knows you, knows the kind of student you are, and will help persuade the admissions committee that you will be a great addition to their college community. (And make sure to write them a thank you note after they have submitted a letter on your behalf.)
