Step Two: Preparing for Letters of Recommendation

Letters of Recommendation are a critical piece of every top application, giving a better look into the strengths a student has. Today, we'll be exploring Letters of Recommendation in Step Two of our 6-step sequence for Juniors and learn the correct strategy to seal the deal on effective, individualized recommendations. Read our summary post for more info on the rest of the 6 steps, including how to make a College List and our upcoming guide on making an Activities List + starting the Common Application.

 What is a Letter of Recommendation?

A Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is a document written to recommend someone based on their character, work, and/or academic performance. Admissions officers treat them as an additional piece to your holistic application, and although they aren't generally make-or-break, it's essential to ensure that they represent you well. Each recommender treats letters differently: some will allow you to read it and be influential in the writing process, whilst others never let you see it.

Check the schools on your college list and see the number and types of LORs they require or allow. Some schools, like Dartmouth, strongly encourage a peer recommendation, so it's important to plan accordingly. You can also ask an employer for an LOR, if you think they'd be able to write a good one! This article will be focusing on asking teachers and professors for LORs, but most of the advice should be applicable to any situation.

Begin talking to teachers about their LOR process around May/June of your Junior year - some may have applications, whilst others may flat out not write LORs at all. Don't be pushy: you're asking early so you can plan ahead strategically to get the LORs you need, not to make them commit to writing a letter now. Make sure to put the due dates on your calendar so you don't miss them! It's very important to leave a good impression on your recommenders throughout this entire process.

Your LORs should show great things about your character and personality, as well as excitement from the writer about you: so be careful about who you pick. Consider the following three main points:

1. Relevancy: pick teachers that you have had recently. Even if you really liked your ninth grade humanities teacher, they are unable to write a LOR relevant to who you are now - and admissions officers will notice. 
2. Subject: teachers with classes that connect to your overall application strategy can write more convincingly than those that do not. If your application focuses on computer science, you'd likely want at least one LOR to come from a computer science teacher. 
3. Relationship: you must pick teachers that actually like you and can write about you well. The first two points don't matter at all if your 12th grade CS teacher hates you - risking a negative or hardly lukewarm LOR is not worth it. You should pick recommenders you had a good relationship with. Ideally, you did well in their class and had great rapport with your peers and the teacher.

The exemplary LOR is a genuine, well-written recommendation that exhibits excitement about your achievements and potential, coming from a recent, subject-relevant teacher or professor. It can be difficult to make all of your LORs ideal, but try your hardest to pick recommenders strategically, balancing the three points above.

The worst thing for a LOR to be is generic, so prep against that by following these steps:

• Help your LOR writers out! Fill out any applications to the best of your ability, and consider giving them additional information if they'll take it. Noting specific moments and impacts you made in their class will make it easier for them to make your LOR feel genuine and personal. Present all additional materials as optional context to help them write better. Make sure not to demand them to read it.
• Provide a rough copy of your resume and/or essays, even if they aren't finalized, to give more context on your overall application - but make sure your writers have enough outside info to write something new. Them listing your resume or rehashing an essay would not be effective.
• Be nice!! This is a huge favor your writers are doing for you, and they aren't getting paid extra... so pay them with kindness, and perhaps some chocolates, Starbucks gift cards, and the works. Genuine, kind notes can be super great as well: you should be making your recommenders actively feel good about you as a person while they write your letter.
• Remind writers about deadlines kindly: be very communicative about your first application deadline, and make sure they will have enough time to write your LOR well without being too forceful or annoying. Asking if there's any way you can help is a good way to remind a teacher about their LOR commitment without being rude.

It isn't easy to navigate long-term human relationships and short-term deadlines and actions when preparing for Letters of Recommendation, but planning ahead and keeping a level head will set you up for success. Pick writers that can represent you well based on the key points we discussed above, and be as helpful and thoughtful as possible. Make the LOR writing process pleasurable for both you and your recommenders. 

Here's a link to our summary post in case you'd like to learn more about the rest of our five steps to successful applications - we'll be releasing an article on making an Activities List and starting the Common Application shortly. Best of luck preparing the best LORs you can! 

Written by DB, PathIvy Content Team