Choosing Teachers for Your Letters of Recommendation

Teacher Recommendations

The first question to ask: Who will I ask to write my teacher recommendations? The second question is: Which academic teachers will contribute the strongest statement to my profile?

Think carefully about your academic life and choose wisely. A teacher will add to your narrative by revealing valuable information about you that speaks to your character, your accomplishments, and how you interact with others in the classroom. You want to choose someone who knows you well and can speak to your ability to do well, weather storms, take on new challenges, and emerge from daily life as a resilient and positive student. Curiosity and a love of learning, your creativity, contributions, leadership — a good teacher recommendation will come from someone with a good understanding of you inside and outside the classroom.

You will want to ask two teachers from the five core academic areas (English, Math, History, Foreign Language, Science). Should you ask one STEM teacher and one humanities teacher?

Let’s talk about the teachers you have in mind.

Keep in mind that junior year teachers are preferable. Colleges want to know your latest news! Asking teachers before the summer months will allow them to get a head start on your letter. If you have an early deadline, this will put you on track for your October or November submission, so give your teachers more time than a mid-September request. Note: Your counselor will write a recommendation letter for you – no need to ask. However, share your activities, interests, and college plans with your counselor. Keep your counselor informed, so they can add lots of detail to your rec letter!