The Handbook Chapter 2

Are your sophomores and juniors noticing the cloud of college admissions activity swirling around them? See if they might want to start learning about what's ahead.

CHAPTER 2 | Teacher Recommendations

It can’t be overstated how important teacher recommendations are in determining admissions outcomes. They’re easy to overlook because, like ninjas, you never see them work. They are uploaded directly to your portal and magically appear in your admissions folder. We’ll discuss here the role they play in the process. Then we will take a look at what you can do to maximize the benefits to you.

When you’re starting out, it’s easy to picture admissions as a zero-sum Hunger Games competition to identify the smartest and most talented. You desperately hope you measure up and fear you don’t. And while it’s true that colleges will take their pick from however many applicants have put themselves forward, they depend on finding interesting and qualified students who are interested in them— possibly you. But colleges are also looking to protect against the downside. Who might elevate class discussions with grit and insight? Can they eliminate those who might present trouble later on? They will look to teacher recommendations to help them accomplish both ends.

Assume your AAO has reviewed your transcript and noted that you are a strong student who has challenged yourself with an array of interesting and demanding classes. Your GPA falls in their 2nd decile (top 40%). This should be the case if you’ve cross-referenced your numbers with theirs. Your AAO took note of your high school and, remembering the name of the AP History teacher, flipped to your teacher recommendations hoping you chose her to write on your behalf. AAOs will tend to read applications from the same regions each year and come to trust certain teachers whose opinions have been borne out in previous cycles. Likewise, they remember those whose glowing praise turned out to be flatly wrong. Lucky for you, your APH teacher is one with an unerring take that the admissions office trusts implicitly.

Admissions committees rely on these recommendations for a glimpse of your contributions in class, interest in learning, and academic potential. No one knows you better than the teacher who spent 5 days a week for a semester or two. They’ve witnessed you at your best and when you were just barely scraping by. If a teacher has taken the time and trouble to faithfully communicate to the college what it was like having you in class, how you contributed to the discussion, and the overall effect you had on the learning environment, it can have a powerful influence on your application. But recommendations vary in quality from what I just described to a useless copy and paste where your name was inserted in a bland, meaningless template that is better suited for the shredder than an admissions folder.

I was trained to read the entire slate of applicants from a particular school for precisely this reason. More than once I encountered multiple recommendations written by the same teacher that were identical except for the insertion of the students’ names. Sometimes even this pitiable effort was botched with mismatched fonts or erroneous spacing. I called one such teacher and asked if they had anything to tell me that might actually help differentiate between their students. Confronted with the discovery of their fraud, they sputtered and declined. The next year I didn’t see a single recommendation from this individual. Good riddance, I say. They’re hurting students in the name of helping. I should be careful to note, however, this is a rare exception in my experience. The vast majority of teachers are highly conscientious and go to great lengths to represent their students fairly and effectively.

Like the transcript, your teacher recommendations will be rated numerically. And, again, don’t be offended. It’s mostly used as a shorthand to remind admissions officers (AOs) where the good stuff can be found.

Teacher Recommendations:

1] A once in a career student. Exceptional intelligence and character.

2] Class leader, always prepared, major contributor to discussion.

3] Strong student.

4] Unremarkable.

5] Disruptive or behavioral problems.

These recommendations can make or break your candidacy. There is some chance involved, but you must choose wisely which teachers you solicit to write on your behalf. Let’s start with what a great recommendation includes. First of all, it needn’t be long. Some of the most winning recommendations I read were quite brief. A teacher can, in a few short paragraphs, give a detailed account of what you bring to the party— that you come prepared and when you haven’t you own up to it. Are you a good listener? Do you have insights to offer? Are you a decent human being who is nice to have around? Do you enjoy the respect of your classmates? This is information your teacher will provide and upon which colleges depend. As you read through these questions, does it bring to mind a particular teacher who you feel has such insight into you? If you have a relationship with this teacher, might you directly ask them if they would consider writing on your behalf?

How would you yourself answer those questions today? Might you look to improve your performance in any of these areas? Sometimes it's as simple as overcoming your reticence and raising your hand in class. Or making eye contact when someone is speaking, teacher or classmate. Anyone, old or young, speaking before a group feels vulnerable and considers attentiveness and courtesy an act of kindness as well as a sign of good character. Doing so is also a means of paying forward, increasing the likelihood of being treated respectfully when it’s your turn at the lectern.

Can you have any control over teacher recommendations? You hope that a teacher will write an honest, original, and favorable review. You will never know as they upload their documents directly to the Common App website which is then delivered directly to the college. ⇨ 🕰⇨

But there are strategies to utilize that can increase the odds of a good outcome.

Give yourself enough time. Students who wait until the month before the deadline will likely encounter teachers who are already inundated with requests and in no mood to lavish praise on someone stealing another hour from their precious weekend. I would recommend that you reach out to your senior friends right after they’ve received their decision letters in either December or March of your 11th grade. Ask them which teachers were most welcoming. If your friends were admitted to good colleges and received recommendations from teachers you’re considering, you can assume the recommenders in question discharged their duties responsibly. However, the more important criteria is the relationship you have with any individual teacher.

Not only do your teachers know you well, the opposite is also true. You know which teachers are reliable and fair.

Once you have decided on your two potential recommenders, you can compose an email to each in which you thoughtfully make your request. In it you can share your plans for applying to college, including anything you think your teacher will find interesting and pertinent regarding the discipline you're interested in pursuing, the colleges that appeal to you, and how your study with this teacher may have affected your choice. For this to be effective, you have to cite aspects of your work about which you’re confident the teacher feels similarly. Be careful not to overreach. It is reasonable to identify aspects of your work of which you’re proud. Everyone who’s ever written a recommendation, myself included, has welcomed a specific detail, even a short story, to include so long as it’s true.

After the teacher agrees to write on your behalf, I suggest you make one more request. When you reply to say thank you, offer to provide them with a resume to consult as they write their recommendation. Some teachers will even invite you to draft a recommendation yourself. If they do, feel free to sing your praises within reason. If you don’t get such an invitation, don’t ask for one.

The most positive effect you can have on your teacher recommendations is your contribution in the classroom. A reputation is built day by day with every small but significant interaction. Like your transcript, your legacy may already be written with teachers whose classes are behind you but recommendations are ahead. So be it. Be the best student you can be today and tomorrow. When it comes time to make your requests, trust your gut.