Among the various materials necessary for college applications, teacher recommendations seem the ones over which you have least control because you can’t directly produce them. However, you can bend the situation in your favor. The quality of your recommendations reflects your relationship skills. No matter how many laudatory sentences are written about you, if they contain no passion, admissions officers will detect the lack of enthusiasm. Clearly, getting recommendations isn’t an overnight job, so where do you start?
1. First impressions: The moment you enter the classroom on Day 1, your teacher will notice your physical appearance. If you're the type that nobody seems to notice but you finally want attention, this is your opportunity to determine whether you’ll spend yet another year under the radar or make a standout impression. Just make sure to carry yourself with confidence, not pompousness.
2. Participation: If you never contribute in class, the teacher might forget you even exist. If you really have something insightful to say, by all means, share it with everyone. Participation is a balancing act of carefully assessing when to speak up and step back, so as not to impose on others, as in a casual conversation.
3. Rendezvous: The real bonding occurs when you are alone with your teacher. Maybe you made an appointment to revise your essay or to review something confusing from class. Use this time wisely! Prepare questions, be punctual, and know the meeting’s objective. Eagerness to learn is impressive, but go the whole length.
4. Timing is everything: Usually students ask their junior or senior year teachers, so you can start asking at the end of junior or start of senior year. Remember that they need time to write. Don’t run to them December 1st expecting them to write during winter break. That gives them the license to write about how you discourteously ruined their holidays. And pre-stamped envelopes with addresses are always welcome.
5. Popping the question: You desperately want them to say yes... to writing your recommendation, of course. The real question is, who do you ask? What teachers know you well and tend to like you? It never hurts to just ask, so when you do, observe their reactions. Beware of any excuses about being too busy or any long pauses of uncertainty. They could truly be busy, but they could also mean that they don’t really know you. Or they just don’t like you.
6. The truth: It’s tempting to ask teachers in whose classes you performed the best academically, but if you received that A in Calculus, your accomplishment will stand on its own on your transcript. Instead, use the recommendation to show another side of you that numbers alone cannot define.
The foundation of your relationships with teachers can’t be your greed for stellar reviews. Kissing up to teachers won’t always land you a good letter. The sacred letter of recommendation simply represents a good friendship on paper. And trust me, you are in control.
