How to get great Letter of recommendation

One of the most important elements of your college application is the recommendation of a teacher. College admissions offices take these letters very seriously, and it is critical that you do your best to secure the best letters of recommendation possible.Some students assume that there is nothing they can do to ensure that the letters are glowing testimonials. While you can’t really expect to sit in the room looking over the shoulder of your teacher as he writes the letter, there are many things you can do to increase the likelihood that the teacher writes a strong letter that will impress admissions officers everywhere.

Here is a step-by-step guide for making sure your letters of recommendation (LORs) are the best they can be.

1. Get Organized

You must know the procedures at your school before you even get started. And you need to follow those procedures, so as to make the lives of your teachers and counselors as easy as possible. With some teachers writing dozens of letters each year, the more you can make things easy for your teacher writing your letter, your diligence and kindness will be reflected in their evaluation of you.

2. Decide Which Teachers Should Write your LORs

A good letter contains some details, some examples, some bits of information that bring the candidate to life for the reader. And a good letter might also provide information about the student’s intellectual growth and development over time. Therefore you need to choose a teacher who knows you well to write your letter.

3. Establish a Relationship with Your Teachers

Well before you decide which teacher will write your LOR, you need to consider that a teacher will not know you very well unless you make an effort to get to know the teacher. Participate in class. Ask questions. Work hard. Go above and beyond what is required, to demonstrate your interest, your fortitude, your proficiency. Show up before or after school to ask questions, shoot the breeze or comment about the course content. Express interest not only in the class but in the teacher. Obviously, you will get along better with some teachers than with others. So focus your efforts on developing relationships with the teachers with whom you share some connection, some affinity.

4. Consider the Timing of Your Request for a LoR

Teachers are busy people. Don’t wait until the last moment to request an LOR. Don’t ask right after your midterm or final exam—when they are still grading stacks of papers. Don’t assume that teachers will write letters during school vacations (you don’t want to work during vacations, and your teachers don’t, either). Look at your own deadlines for your college applications, and consider requesting the LOR at least a couple of months before the deadline. Be considerate and respectful.

5. Pop the Question

When you meet with your teacher to request an LOR, you will likely be nervous. Try not to worry. Teachers field these requests all the time, and they expect to be asked. Consider making your request after school or during a teacher’s off period. Don’t make the request via email or over the telephone. Do it in person: it makes a better impression. You want to be complimentary of the teacher, but you also want to convey a sense of pride in the work you have done in the class. Brown-nosing won’t work. But if you have built a good relationship with this teacher, he or she will be delighted to give you an enthusiastic “yes,” if you craft your request in this way.

6. Provide Your Teacher With Adequate Information

After your teacher answers an enthusiastic “yes!” to your request, you should present him with a slim folder with everything the teacher needs to fulfill your request. The folder will contain a variety of documents (see below) that will help him in writing a detailed letter filled with anecdotes about your skills and abilities. Presenting this folder immediately will convey how seriously you take the teacher—and the recommendation.