“Zero Out of Eleventy-Million”: Do’s and One Big Don’t for Getting a Great Letter of Recommendation
Some colleges and universities have begun to extend their test-optional policies to the Class of 2023 (current high school juniors). As a result, every other element of a student’s college application will continue to play an outsized role in the admissions process next year. As a college essay coach, I’ve written extensively this fall about the essay. This month, I don my former teacher’s cap by offering some suggestions about letters of recommendation from teachers. In short, by taking action now, today’s high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors can ensure their teachers write them strong letters of recommendation in the fall of 2022, 2023, or 2024.
Let’s get my one big “don’t” out of the way first.
Don’t think that a letter from a politician, celebrity, or even an alumnus will hold sway with admissions officers.
As Jonathan Burdick, Cornell University’s Vice Provost for Enrollment, has stated: “In almost four decades of reading applications at three highly selective universities, I have never once recommended or decided to admit a student because one of the recommendation writers was famous or well-connected. So that’s zero out of eleventy-million. I specifically recall we denied students who had letters from billionaires, movie stars, at least one King, and dozens of Congresspeople. There’s in comparison an enormous number of students whose admission I can recall being boosted by heartfelt, thoughtful letters from no-name people in their life who knew the student well and (importantly) *liked* them.”
Do See Teachers as “Top of the Class” When It Comes to Letters of Rec (Admits This College Essay Coach!)
From the perspective of a college admissions officer, the most important “no-name people” who will write letters of recommendation for your child are her teachers. Their words about her intellectual curiosity, academic readiness, and emotional maturity will hold much more sway than an alumna who’s met her for a half-hour. (To say nothing of the politician or celebrity who’s never met her!) Nevertheless, if your child’s teachers can’t say much about these three key criteria for college success, the letter might not be worth much.
As a teacher, I was always surprised when students asked me only for a letter of recommendation. As a college essay coach, I counsel my students to ask whether the letter will be a good one when they request a letter from a teacher. It’s better to hear a negative answer from the teacher now than a rejection from a college later due to a weak letter of recommendation.
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Do Cultivate Relationships With At Least Two Academic Teachers
How to make sure that the teacher will respond, “YES! The letter of recommendation I’ll write you will be fantastic!”? Make sure that you’ve spent at least your entire junior year cultivating a relationship with the two academic teachers you plan on asking for a recommendation. Not sure who you’ll ask? Build relationships with all of the teachers in whose classes you’re doing well. (Even better if you’ve been developing relationships with teachers since ninth or tenth grades, as I advise in my webinars, such as “College Planning for Ninth and Tenth Graders.)
How does a busy high school junior make a connection with a busy teacher of high school juniors? It’s not easy. But it is possible – in both the virtual and real space. Stop by their classroom (or make a Zoom appointment) before or after class (or another time you’re both free). Discuss the content of the course, as well as how that content connects to the world beyond your classroom. (Yes, reading a daily newspaper or researching a little online before these conversations is advisable!) Show them your passion for their subject matter – especially if you’re not the kind of student who participates frequently in class discussions.
Do Well in the Letter Writer’s Class
As an academic tutor and a college essay coach, I recommend that all, but especially introverted, students also try to excel in their written academic work. Intellectual prowess that students showed in their essays or research papers always stuck in my own mind as a high school history teacher. Students’ unique ideas, inspiring perseverance, or stylistic flair always made their made into the letters of recommendation that I wrote for them.
Do Good in the Letter Writer’s Class
My letters of recommendation weren’t reserved just for the heads of the class, however. Students who displayed remarkable empathy for others also earned glowing letters. In the virtual space, it might be more difficult for a teacher to “notice” a student’s kindness. Thus, students shouldn’t feel embarrassed about bringing their good deeds to a teacher’s attention.
If you feel truly awkward about touting your free tutoring of another struggling student, you might enlist your “tutee” to sing your praises for you. The same goes for any other peer or adult you might help within the context of that course or, indeed, of your larger school community. When others feel grateful, they’re often more than happy to pay your good deed forward. But you need to ask in order to make sure the news finds its way to your teacher.
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Do Remind Your Letter Writer of What to “Show, Not Tell”
As a college essay coach, I’m constantly reminding students to show, not tell. Students’ tenacity, creativity, or maturity shine through examples, anecdotes, and stories – and not just when they’re doing the writing. Not all educators, however, know how to write great letters of recommendation.
After your teacher’s agreed to write you a good letter, follow up with a short email confirming that agreement. You may want to include this University of Florida website that provides examples of weak and strong letters, along with guidelines of how to produce the latter. (As a college essay coach, I’ve also shared anonymized letters that I’ve written in the past with my students’ teachers.)
Then, provide your writer with your “Five Greatest Hits” moments from their class. These moments can consist of incisive comments you made during class discussions. Helpful acts you performed in the service of others. Progress on a skill you made throughout the school year (and, if relevant, from the beginning of ninth grade). Perceptive work you produced. Or a combination of any of the above. As a college essay coach, I’d advise all students to provide their letter writers with these golden nuggets from which a memorable letter can be written.
With more than 100 students, your teacher might forget that one moment when you felt like you performed at your best. The “Five Greatest Hits” are a way of jogging his memory and saving him time from having to recall these moments himself.
Do Make It Easy, Ask Early, and Follow Up Respectfully
When you send the “Greatest Hits” list, also provide your teacher with all the relevant information, like due date and recipient email or website, that she’ll need to get the letter where it needs to go on time. Remember: teachers are busy. Most write letters of recommendation on their own time. Show them that you appreciate the time it takes to write your letter by preventing them from having to ask you for these important details.
Moreover, ask for the letter early, preferably a couple of weeks before the end of junior year. Some junior year teachers are inundated with letter requests, and some schools limit the number of letters a single teacher can write. Even if your school doesn’t place such restrictions on teachers, wouldn’t you rather that she write her letter for you poolside, relaxed during summer break, than frazzled after her twentieth letter at midnight on October 30?
If your teacher hasn’t submitted her letter by one month before the due date, start checking in with her once per week during the following two weeks. Keep your tone (whether verbal or written) grateful and respectful. Increase that frequency to three times two weeks before the app’s due. Check in daily – but maintain your respectful tone – one week before the application is due. (You might also want to involve your guidance counselor, parent, or another adult to help you if the letter’s still MIA one week before the deadline.)
Finally, once the teacher has submitted her letter, send her a handwritten thank you note. Such gratitude won’t just ensure she says “yes” to the next student who asks her, it may even help her recover from the frenzy of the letter-writing season!
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Final Thoughts from This College Essay Coach
Though parents and students frequently imagine letters of recommendation fall completely out of their control – or worse yet, don’t matter in the college admissions process – neither assumption could be farther from the truth. By the time I see students in my work as a college essay coach, however, the fruitful period for developing a relationship with a junior year teacher has passed. Therefore, if your child’s in ninth through eleventh grade now, please forward this piece to them and ask them to follow its advice. It could mean the difference between ACCEPT and REJECT come March of 2023, 2024, or 2025.