For the seniors, have you looked at your college applications to see if they require recommendation letters from me or from your teachers? Some schools will require it and many will not. OSU, for example, does NOT require any recommendation letters. (Can you blame them? Imagine trying to read over 46,000 recommendation letters on top of the applications and essays that they receive.) Miami University and the University of Cincinnati, on the other hand, will require a recommendation letter from someone at WKHS who knows you best. If you are having problems determining if the colleges you are considering require recommendation letters – just stop down to see me and I can try to help you look it up.
If you do need recommendation letters, give some thought ahead of time to who you would like to ask to write a letter on your behalf. Look at the requirements specified by the school – are they open to coaches or advisors writing letters or do they want them to come from academic teachers? If the college requires that the letters come from teachers can it be from any subject area or are they only open to the core subjects of English, math, science, and social studies? Are you looking at a career in a specific area that a teacher at WKHS can write about your strengths in that field? For example, if you are considering majoring in Spanish perhaps a recommendation letter from one of your Spanish teachers would be appropriate. What teachers know you best? Who can speak to your work ethic and classroom contributions? If multiple teacher recommendation letters are required, it is often ideal to show your strengths across multiple subjects, so if you have a few teachers to pick from and 2 are math and 1 is science perhaps it would be beneficial to ask 1 math and 1 science teacher rather than the 2 math teachers simply to show that diversity. Remember, in recommendation letters from teachers, the colleges are asking for information about you as a student and your potential for handling the academic rigors of college.
Once you have figured out the teacher or teachers that you want to ask for a recommendation letter (if needed) it is then time to ASK them if they are willing to write a letter for you. It is really important to be reasonable in the amount of time that you are allowing them to have to write your letter. (Think 30 days or more!) They are very busy with their classroom work and grading homework and papers and, of course, life in general. Plus many teachers are often bombarded by students requesting recommendations. If a teacher is unable to write a recommendation letter for you – either because they don’t feel that they know you well enough to write a strong letter or because they have too much on their plate, don’t take it personally, simply ask another teacher. You will be thankful that you didn’t force them to write the letter because it wouldn’t be as solid of a recommendation letter if they were rushed or only had vague highlights to discuss.
In the Counseling and Career Center we have forms that you can use to ask your teachers to write a recommendation letter on your behalf. It is also helpful to provide a resume or the type of information which is frequently seen on a resume to your teachers. If the college that requires recommendation letters does not have an online application system (such as the Common App), it is also really important to specify the number of letters that you need, for which schools, and to provide envelopes as well as the forms required by the schools for the teachers to complete. (If you are applying with the Common Application and need teacher recommendations those will be done online and so after they agree to write a letter on your behalf, submit their e-mail address and they will receive the request electronically.)
Once your teacher has completed his/ her recommendation letter they will submit it online or mail it in directly with the envelope you gave to them. Colleges do not want you to be given the recommendation letters directly and if your teacher is providing you with their letter then they should have signed the envelope across the seal. Remember though, you are the one ultimately responsible for making sure that the recommendation letter is submitted so if you are noticing that a rec letter has not been submitted, please follow up with your teacher prior to your deadline.
If a counselor recommendation letter is required it is beneficial to come and see me as soon as you realize it so that we can talk about what you need and by when. You will need to provide me with a completed Counselor Recommendation Supplement form that you complete and a Parent Brag Sheet written by your parents. I write the letters on a first come first serve basis (as determined by when I receive your completed forms). It is the only way I know how to be fair. I try to put a lot of time and effort into the letters – each year it takes me an average of 5 hours per letter which adds up quickly. So please, watch your deadlines and try to help me write the best letter possible by allowing me to have the time with it. You might wonder why it takes me so long to write a recommendation letter and it is because each letter should (hopefully) capture the essence of you – and each of you are very different. When writing recommendation letters generalized praise is wasted space so I need stories and examples to help give people a true image of you and to make it more than just what they can read about you in your application. I can’t say that I reach that goal every time, but I promise that I try my best.
If there is any doubt of what I am doing in my free time, please know that I will be writing and editing and rewriting and editing again on your recommendation letters. (Just like I hope you are doing on your essays.)
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