How do I go about asking for letters of recommendations?Answered
Hello!
I'm sure this question has been answered countless times but I wanted a reassuring answer haha.
So I'm currently a senior and I'm starting my application process. I do need to get letters of recommendation but I don't know who to ask.
I'm not close with any teachers...at all. I don't have much of a presence at school in general. Only teachers I've had know me. While I could ask my past teachers I'd be keen, a lot of them left so I'm limited. I'm also timid so asking a random teacher is daunting.
I asked my Upward Bound counselor for one, but I know I should get one from a teacher.
Do I just ask any past teacher?
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3 answers
Hey there!
Asking for letters of recommendation can be a little unnerving :) I had to do it early because I entered a scholarship last May. I ended up asking my advisor and my dad who qualifies as a teacher since I am homeschooled. Here's some advice:
Teachers and counselors are not the only people you can ask. Coaches and employers can be great options if you have them. If you volunteered with an organization or something, you could ask the person in leadership that you interacted with for a letter of recommendation. The key is to choose someone who can say great things about you! It's not ideal that you don't know the teachers well, but it's okay if you're not planning on attending a competitive university. If you were aiming for a prestigious university, you would want to choose someone who could say more than that you're "a great student and xyz".
I don't recommend asking any past teacher. Think about your experience with the teacher. You want them to be able to write positive things about you. Was there a class were you put forth great effort and it was noticed by the teacher or something like that? Also, choose a teacher you appreciated. When you reach out to them, it really helps them want to write a letter if you share how you appreciated this or that about them. And choose one who will be kind! This is a last minute ask for a letter of rec. While teachers are used to it, you still want to pick someone who's not going to make you feel bad.
Hope this is helpful. You got this! lmk if you have any questions!
hi! you should have 2-3 rec letters: 1 from STEM, 1 from Humanities (foreing lang, social studies, hist, English, etc.), and, optionally, one from any other. The best way to ask is to come into their classroom right after school, and ask them if they would be willing to. Make sure to ask if they will be able to give you a GOOD lor, don't just ask if they can write one for you. Tell them you will give them a brag sheet to help them out. Once they say yes, you have 305 days to get the brag sheet to them. Each brag sheet should be personalized for each teacher: blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-craft-a-stellar-brag-sheet
The brag sheet basically tells the teacher what you want them to know about you. The biggest thing to remember: Always ask them to include stories about your time in their class when you went above and beyond. This is best with classes you initially struggled with but got the hang of later (its ok if you don't have these)
msg me if you have any questions! Hope this helps!
Hi! Definitely make sure to ask a STEM teacher for one, and try to get them from junior or senior year teachers. Even if you don't have a super close relationship with a teacher, they've written so many LOR and they know what to do, so don't be scared it'll be bad. I highly advise writing a specific brag sheet for each teacher about you as a person, your achievements, words that describe you (try to use nouns, not just adjectives), and things you did in their class that you're proud of. Hope this helps!
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