College Letters of Rec

College Letters of Rec June 19, 2012 Help your teachers write your college letters of rec so that they dont appear template. You want these letters to help you stand out from the pack. As summer approaches, youve hopefully by now let the teachers who you hope will be writing your college letters of rec know that you would like them to write recommendations on your behalf. As weve told you before on our blog, letting them know in the fall is not a good idea. Thats when so many students ask their teachers for recommendation letters. Theyre bombarded with writing lesson plans for their classes, with faculty meetings, and tons of other students asking for the very same thing. Thats why asking them before the summer is a great idea. This way, teachers can write your college letter of rec on their own terms during their own time, when their life isnt so hectic. But is asking them to write a letter in which they recommend you all that you should do? No. Absolutely not. In fact, thats the easy way to get a generic letter of recommendation. What you should be doing is helping your teachers write their letters of recommendation. Does that sound a little weird? Maybe, but get over it. Some teachers will openly thank you for your help. In fact, the majority will in our experience. Occasionally, teachers might think its a bit presumptuous but our students at Ivy Coach are taught to walk this line very well. And even the teachers who say they dont need any help from you, when theyre behind closed doors and time is getting away from them theyll use what you gave them. So what can you give them? Our students at Ivy Coach prepare answers to selected questions and these answers shine a lantern on what sets our students apart in the classroom. These answers show   college admissions counselors our students love for learning and specific things our students did throughout the year in the classroom whether its an exceptional presentation on John Adams or reciting memorized passages from Hamlet. Teachers just dont remember what you did and how you stood out in their class as well as you do. After all, there are about twenty-five other students in the class and possibly another one hundred students in their four other classes.   Youve only got yourself to focus on so youll remember what you accomplished and how you engaged in classroom debate better than anyone (including your teacher). Reminding your teacher of all of this will only help your college letters of rec appear less template and more memorable to college admissions counselors.