The Complete Guide: How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation (LOR)
Letter of Recommendation is very important part of college application. And asking someone to write it you can feel daunting. Most of the teachers are accustomed to writing Letter of Recommendation. Indian/NRI Students should pay a close attention to this, as Letter of Recommendation are one of the trickiest ones to crack. If the teacher doesn’t know you well and they agree to write you a letter, they might not do justice to it. Hence, always be in touch with teachers and always try to visible to them.
Below article lists the steps on requesting a Recommendation Letter for your college applications successfully from your teachers and counsellors.
Let’s look at what information you should know before requesting a recommendation letter.
Letter of Recommendation (LOR), they help you personalize your application and tell a story about your journey as a student and as a person. Recommendation letters list your academic potential, character traits, and personality, as well as about how you've connected with others in the school community.
As the recommendation letters give our your personality and character traits, you should choose someone who knows you well and can justify the purpose and give out specific anecdotes about you. Each school has some teachers who are accustomed to writing these letters and they may have established a solid reputation with certain colleges too. This may be of great help, as they clearly know what to mention and what not.
One point to note is, some of the schools need one Letter of Recommendation, whereas most of them require two letters just to be sure about the student.
When and Who to Ask for Letter of Recommendation (LOR)?
One ground rule to follow here Indian NRI Students, even seasoned teachers take time to write a strong recommendation letter. Hence, it is advisable to ask for it much earlier than your deadline. Usually a month prior to your application deadlines. In case of early action, it would be somewhere around October and regular application, would be during December.
There are some teachers who put a cap on the Letter of Recommendation requests, it’s usually first come first serve basis. In these cases, make sure to even ask way earlier than a month prior to your application deadline.
Junior year teachers are often a good choice, as they have spent the junior years with you and you’re fresh in their mind. They can write a justifiable Letter of Recommendation noting down all your character and personality traits.
Once You’ve Decided on Who and When to Ask for Letter of Recommendation, Next Question is How to Ask for It?
Let's ask the LORs from both Teacher and School Counselor:
#1. Asking a Letter of Recommendation from a Teacher:
There are three aspects to asking for a Letter of Recommendation.
a. How to Make Your Request
It is always recommended to asking for Letter of Recommendation in person (face to face). First email your teacher asking for a feasible time to discuss about it, then based on their schedule, meet the teach in person.
b. What to Say
Be specific and to the point, avoid talking with a lot of "ums," "likes," or "I forgot what I was about to say." Rather be on point and you can say something like, “I really enjoyed your class. I've learned a lot from you and feel like you've gotten to know me well. I'm applying to College X for next year and would be really flattered if you could write me a strong Letter of Recommendation for my application(s).”
The phrasing of a strong recommendation plays an important role. You’re making sure that your teacher writes you a strong and compelling letter, not a generic one. In case, if the teacher sound doubtful, it’s best to simply thank them and ask somebody else.
c. Information to Give Your Teacher(s)
Let your teacher know about the deadlines and requirements and where have you reached with regards to your college application. A highly recommended document which you would want to provide your teachers would be your brag sheet. Brag sheet helps teachers to know more about your achievements and your values, accordingly they can write their Letter of Recommendations.
#2. Asking your School Counselor for a Letter of Recommendation.
Unlike your teachers, counsellors are the are the same throughout your high school journey. And almost all colleges that require recommendations want one from your counselor.
Asking a Letter of Recommendation from your counselor doesn’t have to be the same you do with your teachers, as writing a Letter of Recommendation is an implied request for all students. However, a face to face meeting and a sharing your brag sheet are very important parts to your requests.
You can ask you counsellors much earlier to write you a Letter of Recommendation, as the deadlines closes in, counsellors are busy writing letters for all students. Just like your teachers, it's up to you to tell your counselor when your deadlines are and any special requirements they need to complete.
Next Steps Post Requesting the Recommendation Letter
It is always advisable to follow up with you recommender's a week or two before your deadlines with a polite reminder. To provide you a copy to review before submitting it would completely depend on your recommender.
Leave us your query at [email protected] for further assistance and we'll always be there to assist you.
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