Many colleges require a school recommendation, usually written by a teacher. These letters are very important components of the completed application. We encourage our juniors to request these letters in prior to summer vacation so that teachers have an opportunity to write them over the summer. This helps avoid the last minute rush in September.
When planning for letters of recommendation, we have a few suggestions:
Be sure that your student follows any guidelines that the college has about the selection of teachers to write the letters. When the choice is up to them, they should choose a teacher who knows them well and with whom they feel comfortable.
Remember that writing recommendations is a difficult, time-consuming task. The teacher should be approached in a polite, friendly manner. Students should make sure that they make the request long before any deadlines. Give the teacher any special forms the college has for recommendations.
The teacher should be given a stamped envelope, addressed to the college´s admissions office.
Your student should follow up with a verbal or written thank you when the teacher has sent the recommendation.
It is generally not helpful to submit extra letters of recommendation that are not requested by the college
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