Choose teachers who know you well!• Before asking for a recommendation, discuss your choices with your college advisor. some teachers tend to write better recommendation letters than others and your advisor may suggest or dissuade you from a teacher.
• Choose carefully and pick two teachers from different subjects so you show ability to perform well in many different subjects. if possible choose teachers from your junior year, since they have taught you recently and in the more advanced classes.
• Ask your teachers early, preferably before the end of junior year
• Talk to the teacher in depth about your application and what role you hope their recommendation will play in your application – your application should tell a compact story of who you are – let your teacher know what your essay topic is and how you hope to come across to the college of choice – also let them know what your top college picks are – they may have contacts there or be able to tailor their recommendation to your college of choice!
• A couple of weeks after you have first asked for a recommendation follow up with an email with a few bullet points indicating what personal characteristics you hope that their recommendation will convey – this will make their lives easier
• Follow up a month before the application is due to indicate again how much you appreciate their help, casually reminding them of the deadline
• Check in with colleges a week before applications are due to make sure that they have all of your materials, especially your teacher recommendations
• Send thank you’s!
• If you are deferred it might be a good opportunity to get another teacher to send an additional letter of recommendation