Letters of Recommendation

Tips on Asking for a Letter of Recommendation

Teachers, coaches, staff, and many more others are always happy to write letters of recommendation for you. However, if you follow these guidelines, it will streamline the process for whomever will be writing your letter of recommendation.

1) Fill out a Brag Sheet. You can download/print off a brag sheet from below or click here.

2) You must actually ASK the teacher to write your letter. Do not simply hand them your brag sheet. Ask politely and concisely.

3) Know who to ask for a recommendation letter. You should ask teachers or staff that you know well to complete your recommendation letters. Do not ask a teacher that you have only had for a few weeks. It is hard for the recommender to write a letter when they do not know the person they are writing for. You should also consider your grades in the class. If you are struggling in a class and you ask that teacher to write a recommendation letter, the letter will likely reflect your performance in that class. 

4) Give a deadline. This means the latest date you would like your recommendation letter by. NEVER ask a teacher or anyone else to write a recommendation letter and ask for the final copy the next day. That is not fair to the recommender, or to yourself. Always ask well ahead of your application deadline to avoid any of these conflicts.

5) Ask if they will be completing the recommendation letter online or by a hard copy. If they will be doing a hard copy, tell them that they can give it to the college adviser, and the letter will be sent with all other documents to the college(s) you have applied to. 
 

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