52 Weeks to College: Week 5 - Recommendations (From Good to Great)

Most applicants don't make the most of their counselor and teacher recommendations (or, in admissions speak and for the rest of this blog: recs). You settle for good when you could have great. Good means that the recs won't hurt you in the process; great means the recs might actually tip the balance in your favor if you are smack dab in the middle of the pool.

Why Recs Matter

Recs from counselors and teachers make a difference because these third party adults are trusted, independent sources of information about you. It is one thing when you report that you have been a great student leader. It is another thing when you report that about yourself, the counselor seconds it with an example of how your leadership in the junior class kept the class on a positive track after some negative event like the loss of classmates in a car accident, and the teachers third it with examples of how you demonstrate leadership within the classroom by asking probing questions and helping other students who are having a tough time getting it.

The Basics: Getting Good Recs

I'm not going to spend much time advising you how to get good recs, because I suspect you have already figured that out. Here's the basic advice you should have gotten.

First, you don't get to choose who does your counselor rec; your school assigns that to someone. Make sure you know who that is, connect with him/her, and follow his/her instructions.

Second, get teacher recs from teachers who know you, from whom you got a good grade (or turned around a nosedive), who have seen you perform well in the classroom, and who like you. If you are honest with yourself, you know who these teachers are. Ask them politely and in a way that gives the recommender a graceful way to say no, e.g., "Mr. Smith, I am talking with teachers about recommendations for college. I hope you would be one of my recommenders. Are you able to write a strong recommendation for me to college?"

If Mr. Smith says no, that's it. Accept it with thanks for the consideration. If you have a sense that the teacher is saying no because he/she can't write a positive recommendation, you should probe gently into why. Follow-up with a question such as, "Mr. Smith, I sense that you are uncomfortable giving me a positive recommendation. Before I ask another teacher, I would like to understand why that is so I can reflect upon it and address it."

If your teachers say yes, give them the forms (filled out and with postage), check in with them and then thank them. Not so hard, huh?

Beyond the Basics: From Good to Great in 3 Steps

Because getting good recs is relatively easy and because you are SO busy during your senior year, most applicants get their good recs lined up and call it a day. But if you are willing to take a little extra time, you can take those good recs and make them great. If you make the recs great, you increase your chances of being admitted to your top choice school. So, if you are committed to maximizing your offers of admission, take these additional 3 steps and your recs will likely go from good to great!

Step 1. Prepare a "cheat sheet" for your recommenders.

Recommenders want to write a recommendation that will actually help you. Left to their own devices, they will be guided by the questions that the recommendation form asks and their own recollections. This means they may or may not address what is actually important to you.

If you've taken the time to outline your story (see Week 4), you know what parts of that story your recommenders can help you tell. Outline those points in bullet format on one sheet of paper that you include with your recommendation forms. Not sure what I mean? Here are some questions to get you thinking about the bullet points you might include on your cheat sheet:

• What are the highlights of your experience with this teacher?  I got the highest grade, I participated a lot in class, I worked extra hard and sought you out after school.  (Believe it or not, teachers don't remember these things with the clarity you might hope for -- they've taught a lot of students!)
• Why did you like the class(es) you took with this teacher? What did you learn from the class? Is it connected to your overall intellectual development (I learned critical thinking that I now use in all my academic pursuits), your vocational plans (I learned I loved science and particularly the labs on cell bio, so I'm planning on pursuing a career in medical research), your emotional/social development (I learned how to be part of a team while working on the group project you assigned.)?
• Are there passions that you share with this teacher? (Love 19th century English novels.)
• Are there activities beyond the classroom with this teacher that demonstrate your qualities as a member of a learning community? (Teacher was the debate coach and you were on the A team.)
• Why are you applying to these particular schools? Which is your top choice school? Did the teacher have an influence on which schools you picked? (Choosing West Coast schools because you want to be in the TV business; top choice is USC; know teacher did Masters work at USC and spoke highly of it.)
• Is there a "problem" in your profile that the recommender can help you overcome? Examples: You had a bad 10th grade year, but have recovered. Your counselor knows the back story and can confirm that you had to be out of school for several critical weeks due to illness and that you worked diligently to overcome the setback. (By the way, the counselor may have known this, but two years have passed and she may not remember it unless you prompt her, and/or the counselor may not have personal knowledge, but can check school records and attest to what you tell her.) Or you haven't been able to participate in many extracurricular activities because you had significant family responsibilities. If a counselor or teacher mentions that background information, it bolsters and reinforces your story.

Step 2. Ask early in a face-to-face, scheduled meeting to which you arrive prepared with a package to hand over. 

Teachers and counselors write lots of recommendations.  They are "extra" work for them, so the most courteous thing you can do is ask early, so that they can squeeze this extra work into an already hectic schedule.  (Also some teachers limit the number they will write and observe a first come, first serve policy.)

A face-to-face scheduled meeting with the recommender signals that you are approaching the college application process with great seriousness.  All too often, applicants let time constraints of a hectic life result in an "on the fly" approach.  You ask recommenders in a rushed talk between classes or after school, a casual exchange following a sports event or extracurricular activity, or an email exchange.  It gets the job done, but it doesn't make for great recs. 

Come prepared to your meeting with the following package of information:

• Your list of schools with their deadlines and any special notes about their requirements
• The appropriate recommendation forms and the mailing envelopes with stamps.  Do this even if you encourage the recommender to submit online.  The recommender should make the choice -- not you!
• Your cheat sheet
• Contact information for yourself (email, cell)

Give the recommender your package.  Briefly refer to the cheat sheet and ask the recommender if he/she has any questions or needs anything else from you in order to complete the recs.

Step 3. Check in and keep the recommender current.

Recommenders get busy and they aren't necessarily paying attention to deadlines the way you are. It is both courteous and simple to check in and keep the recommender current with your progress/process. Just put the following check-in dates on your calendar and then do each:

• October 30: Email check-in - ask if recommender has questions, tell recommender how far along in the process of completing your applications you are, enclose any essays you have completed for further info for recommender.
• November 30: Email check-in -- ask if recommender has questions, tell recommender how far along in the process of completing your applications you are, enclose any essays you have completed for further info for recommender.
• December 15: Email check-in - remind recommenders of upcoming deadlines and/or thank for any recommendations submitted, ask if need anything to complete (stamps, extra forms, etc.), give contact information for yourself over the holiday break.
• January 30: Email check-in - let recommenders know if any recs haven't arrived and ask them to send again promptly (you'll provide duplicate forms, stamps/FedEx if necessary) and/or thank for all recommendations submitted.
• April: Email check-in - let recommenders know your status at all the schools where recommender submitted rec, thank again for help in process, ask if advice about where to go.
• May: Personal check-in - tell recommender where you will be attending school and advise recommender if you are on wait list that you hope to come off of.
• August: Email check-in - give recommender your new contact information and thank again. These recommenders should become your first "network" contacts and you should stay in touch with them for life. They are now invested in your future and may be able to help you again!

Non-Teacher/Extra Recommendations

They will not help you (and overkill suggests something off about you), so don't bother unless:

• The recommendation highlights a special talent and is from a coach or other adult qualified to evaluate that talent. Examples: your concert piano teacher that prepared you for your debut at Carnegie Hall, your Olympic coach. You see what I mean by special? Not just ordinary, run of the mill talent, but real gifts that only a few have.
• The recommendation comes from a coach or advisor to your central extracurricular activity and adds something beyond accomplishments. Examples: you never made it past JV, but you were the "go to" JV captain and your spirit galvanized the team to its first regional victory in years, you are EIC of the yearbook and the yearbook is a HUGE activity at your school and takes a special kind of leader.
• The recommendation comes from a boss and work experience is your central extracurricular activity. If you have worked through high school and that is how you spent your time, a boss's recommendation can illuminate how your work ethic translates into community contribution. It is extremely important to give your boss the cheat sheet because he/she is probably rarely asked to do this and so doesn't know the "game."
• The recommendation comes from a "person with clout/connections" who ACTUALLY KNOWS YOU. That's right: you, not your family, not your extended network, but YOU, and the recommender says he/she will actually write an individual letter rather than cranking out the standard template - "fine young man/woman who shows tremendous promise."

Comments or Questions?

Having trouble working up the nerve to ask for a recommendation?  Need a script for talking to the counselor?  Encountered another problem with recommendations?  Please post a comment!

Alison Cooper Chisolm writes the series 52 Weeks to College. She has worked in admissions at Southern Methodist University, the University of Chicago, and most recently Dartmouth College. She is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School. As part of the Ivey Consulting team, Alison works with college applicants and their families as they navigate the college admissions process. Read more about Alison here.