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Many colleges consider letters of recommendations to be a very important part of their school applications. Be sure to ask the right people to write your letters and provide them with all of the information they may need.

Letters of recommendation strengthen your college application by providing details about your personal background, character, academic preparation, work experiences, and extracurricular activities. You have two objectives when you request your letters of recommendation:

To get great letters that highlight your background and strengths, and
To have each letter reflect a different dimension of your skills and attributes. Your letters should build upon the other elements of your application (grades, test scores and activities). It is worth some time and thought to get good letters, so be sure to follow the steps below to get the best letters you can.

1. Read the Instructions	2. Decide Who to Ask
3. Select Your Recommenders	4. Guide Your Recommenders
5. Write Your Recommenders	6. Meet with Your Recommenders
7. Follow Up With Your Recommenders	8. Thank Your Recommenders
Summary Check List

1. Read the Instructions

Read the instructions about getting letters of recommendations in your college packet carefully to see how many letters you can submit and who is eligible to write you a letter. Sometimes colleges will ask for recommendations from specific people--such as one from an English teacher and one from a math or science teacher.

Check the application instructions carefully for each college to see if they want your recommenders to send the letters directly to the college or if they want you to include the letters with the rest of your application materials.

2. Decide Who to Ask

Recommenders should be people who know you well and know about the quality of work you've done in their class or at their work site, such as a teacher you had for several classes or a nurse who supervised you at a volunteer job. Before you ask anyone from outside of your school to write you a recommendation, make sure this is okay with the college to which you are applying.

Recommenders should write positive letters detailing your academic abilities, personal traits, and motivation for higher education. By carefully choosing the people who write your recommendations, you can ensure that each of your letters shares a different positive quality about you. Taken together, your letters will portray a well-rounded view of you.

To help decide who you'll ask, make a list of possible recommenders. Think about their position (high school principal, chairwoman of the biology department, English teacher, supervisor of your volunteer job at the community hospital) and then ask yourself:

Does each person know me well enough to write a strong letter?
Does each person think highly of me?
Which set of people can write letters that will best reflect my background and strengths?

Which set of people will be most highly regarded by the college admission's committee?

3. Select Your Recommenders

Now you can pick the strongest candidates from your list. You can also ask your mentor, a teacher, or friends to look over your list and suggest who they think are the strongest candidates.

4. Guide Your Recommenders

Once you decide who you are going to ask, think about the different aspects of your background, character, academics, and activities that you want reflected in your letters. Each letter should focus on things that are not covered in your essay so the college can get a broad sense of you and your skills.

Next to the names on your list, describe what you would like each recommender to emphasize. Your list might look like the following:

Mrs. Abenathy, chemistry teacher: Ask her to emphasize your good grade in her chemistry class and your participation; your interest in the sciences; your ability to help other students with science homework; your participation in the high school science fair; your academic performance in other challenging science and math classes; your goal of attending a college with a strong science department.

Mr. Martin, English teacher: Ask him to emphasize your writing and conceptualization skills; your public-speaking and leadership skills; your interest in literature about minority health issues; your academic performance in other challenging English and social science classes; your goal of combining your verbal and writing skills in your career.

Mrs. Able, student government advisor: Ask her to emphasize your participation in high school student government; your leadership, public speaking and interpersonal skills; your commitment to representing all groups of students; your involvement in other school activities (select a few key activities); your goal of continuing your involvement in leadership activities.

Mrs. Fischetti, nurse supervisor at your hospital volunteer job: Ask her to emphasize your interest in the health field; your punctuality and attention to detail; your devotion to your work (such as your caring for elderly patients); your ability to relate well to patients from diverse ethnic backgrounds; your participation in other community or humanitarian activities (select a few key activities).

You should also provide your recommenders with information about your background, any hardships you have overcome, and your personal goals and skills. Some additional items you may ask your recommenders to mention are:

Your personal background, including your family situation, such as if you will be the
first in your family to attend college.
Hardships you have experienced in seeking higher education, such as being from a
low-income background or living with parents who do not speak English.
Personal strengths that will make you a good college student, such as being inquisitive,
motivated, and hard working.
Your commitment to other students and your community, as demonstrated by your
volunteer work, willingness to help other students, and involvement in humanitarian causes.

Your leadership skills and experiences.

5. Write Your Recommenders

When you finish your list of what you want each recommender to emphasize, write a formal note requesting that they write you a letter of recommendation. Here is a Sample Request for a Letter of Recommendation. Your letters should be personalized for each recommender and should list the specific skills and attributes you want them to emphasize. Remember, the more detailed your letter, the easier it will be for your recommender to write a strong letter in support of you, using the information you provide.

Save the letter to take to them when you meet personally (see below). You should also provide your recommenders with a simple resume that describes the classes you have taken, your grades, and your work and volunteer experiences. Here is a Sample Resume.

6. Meet with Your Recommenders

After you finish your letters, call or stop by the recommenders' offices to ask them when you can set up a meeting to talk with them for a few minutes. Make sure that this meeting is at a convenient time for them. Schedule the meeting at least a month before your letters are due so that each recommender has plenty of time to write you a great letter.

When you meet with your recommenders, ask them to write you a letter of recommendation. Give them the personalized letter you wrote and your resume. Remind them how hard you have worked to get this far and how excited you are about attending college. Let them know that their letter will be an important part of your application. Finally, thank them for supporting you and writing the letter.

Be sure to take stamped envelopes that the recommender will use to mail your letters. The envelopes should be addressed either to you or to the colleges to which you are applying (depending upon the preference of the college).

7. Follow Up With Your Recommenders

After you meet with each of your recommenders, make a note in your calendar to follow-up with them in a few weeks to be sure that they send the letter before it is due.

8. Thank Your Recommenders

When you know the letters have been sent, write a personal thank-you note to each recommender expressing your appreciation for their help.

Good luck!

Summary Check List:

1. ___  Read the college admission's requirements to see how many letters of
             recommendation you can submit and who is eligible to write you a letter.
2. ___  List all possible people who know you well enough to write you a strong letter.
3. ___  Select the strongest candidates from your possible list of recommenders.
4. ___  Identify and list the different skills and attributes you want each
             recommender to emphasize.
5. ___  Write a personal letter to each recommender that includes the
             skills and attributes that he or she should emphasize.
6. ___  Make an appointment to meet with each recommender.
             At the appointment, take stamped envelopes, your personal letter,
             and your resume.
7. ___  Follow-up with each recommender to be sure that he or she sends the letter
             before it is due.
8. ___  Write a personal thank-you note to each recommender.

Back to Getting Into College.

Requesting Letters of Recommendation

by Dr. Marilyn Winkleby, Founder SMYSP