Letters of Recommendation for Colleges

Today I want to cover a few of the most common questions I receive from students and parents regarding letters of recommendation. 

How many letters of recommendation for college? 

Every school is different. Some schools, like the UC campuses, don’t require letters of recommendation. Other schools require one and some schools require two. The best move is to plan for two teacher letters of recommendation. (Note that these are separate from your counselor’s letter of recommendation.)

Which teachers should I ask?

It’s important that you pick two teachers from 11th grade, as colleges strongly prefer this. (10th grade is just too far in the past by the time the admissions committee gets around to reading your application.)

Moreover, you ideally want to pick one STEM teacher and one humanities teacher. Some colleges require this, but even for the ones that don’t, it’s good to present different sides of you in your letters of recommendation. 

Can I submit extra letters of recommendation? If so, who might be a good candidate to ask?

Many schools will allow you to submit 1-2 extra letters in addition to your teacher letter(s). These are usually optional and students should not feel pressured to submit these. If you’re considering submitting an extra letter, make sure it meets the following criteria:

• It should be just as stellar as your teacher letters. This may sound obvious, but you don’t want two great teacher letters to be drowned out by one lukewarm letter from, say, your music teacher. 
• It should be different from your teachers’ letters, meaning that it should focus on a different side of you, highlighting something that your teachers haven’t already covered in their letters. This is usually best achieved by asking someone who knows you in a completely different context. For example, someone I’ve done research for would likely be able to comment on qualities that my teachers aren’t commenting on. The same could potentially be said for my volunteer supervisor or my boss at work. Of course, it all depends on the relationship you have with the person, but as a general rule, you should not choose another high school teacher for your third letter of recommendation. Instead, think of someone who knows you in a completely different context.

What are teachers commenting on in their letters?

It’s not just your academic performance (though that of course matters!). They’re going to try to paint a more comprehensive picture of what you’re like to have in the classroom. This includes things like classroom citizenship, maturity, confidence, reaction to setbacks, leadership, etc. This is important to remember when you’re thinking about whom to ask for a letter. There’s a whole lot more to consider than simply who gave you the highest grade. 

As you progress through high school, developing strong relationships with teachers is something that should constantly be on your radar. The more you know a teacher, the better position they’ll be in to write you the most glowing letter of recommendation possible.