Application station, part 2.

I’ve gotten quite a few requests for more information about applications, so I am going to make a series of posts that fill in the blanks of my previous post found here. This post will be about choosing who you will ask to write your recommendation letters.

Make a list of teachers, coaches, activity advisors, and others, in school and out, who know you well enough to provide you with a recommendation. Don’t choose only coaches or only people associated with one activity. Do try to make sure that you have at least one teacher AND one non-teacher in the mix.

This is all part of the process of making the application process as low stress as possible. Not perfect, not stress-free, but as uncomplicated, as management, as possible.

It’s important to remember that you are asking a favor and you should behave accordingly. By the same token, teachers, coaches, etc., are professionals who should expect to have to do this throughout their careers. In other words, this is a professional exchange and it’s a good time to practice those skills. Don’t just think about who you like best, consider who is a good recommendation for each school and for your future plans. If you want to be a science major and play tennis, then asking your psychology teacher and your choir instructor for recommendations would be sub-optimal. Instead, think of who would be best among your math and science teachers in your junior and senior level classes, instead.

Once you have your list of potential letter writers, make brief notes next to each name about your relationship to them, how long you’ve known, and what work you’ve done with them. The point of all this is for you to know your potential letter writers well enough that when you are reading through applications, you know exactly who to ask for each letter. 

Sometimes people will ask you to write the letter and they will sign it. In general, it's a good idea to have such a letter re-written, revised, or edited by professional writers.