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Across the country, high school seniors are in the midst of applying to college. One important factor is a recommendation from a teacher – a task that is not always without risk.
“I only see a few that are really specifically negative, but a few are less than positive,” says David Graves, associate director of admissions at the University of Georgia. “That’s the best way I can put it. Where they say, ‘Well, this student may be strong in this area in the future,’ or, ‘They have a lot of potential.’”
He says “a lot of potential” is one of those phrases that shows a teacher has reservations.
“They might say something like, ‘They turn in all their information on time,’” he adds. “Well, I expect that from everybody pretty much, so just having that as their best praise isn’t much of a praise.”
Another risk is that letters can be so vague as to become meaningless.
“That doesn’t give me any insight if its just a run-of-the-mill ‘here’s my formula’ recommendation letter,” says Graves.
His advice? Students should ask the teacher directly if they would give a positive review.
“Just say, ‘How do you feel I’ve done in your class?’” suggests Graves.
“If you are really having doubts, I would probably reconsider asking that teacher,” says Afrooz Family, a high school senior at Atlanta International School.
Also, kids should choose a teacher who can be specific about their skills and efforts in the classroom.
“I felt like I wanted teachers who knew me,” says Eva Imbsweiler, 18, “not just as a strong student, but as a person.”
Another tip is to find the right teacher. A good choice is a math or English teacher from junior year.
“It might be a teacher that teaches, you know, driver’s ed,” says Graves. “And that’s not going to matter that much to me what the driver’s ed teacher says.”
Finally, he says, ask for the letter at least a month in advance.
“I think I asked for my letter about two or three months before it was due,” says senior Graham Belton, “just to make sure that they had time.”
“I was kind of late so I kind of had to do a little begging,” says classmate Rodrigo Ortiz-Gomez.
Experts advise students to get to know their guidance counselor as well, because many universities require the counselor to fill out an evaluation form.
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