Insights from a Former Ivy League Admissions Officer

A good rule of thumb in life is to always treat your teachers with respect. Fortunately, this advice applies to the college admissions process as well. While most students agonize over their college essays, very few give their teacher recommendations a second thought. However, what other people say about you in your college application is at least as important as what you say about yourself.

Most selective colleges will require two teacher recommendations from each applicant (some colleges only require one, others ask for three). Many students assume that all teacher recommendations are alike, that they’re all “good.” The truth is that admissions officers are well trained at deciphering between mediocre and exceptional letters. Exceptional letters include a lot of detail about the student in the context of the classroom. They give examples such as “Johnny was so interested in our genetics lesson that he went home and decoded the genome” or “Julie loves Shakespeare so much that she wrote an original tragedy in Shakespearean English and then performed it for the entire school.” I’m exaggerating, of course, but you get the picture. Ideally, colleges want to see that you stand out in the classroom and that you go above and beyond what is expected.

What if your teacher is simply a poor writer or doesn’t know that he or she should provide this type of detail? Most teacher recommendations are also accompanied by a checklist that is included in the application form. For example, the common application asks teachers to rank students in about fifteen different categories—in areas such as academic achievement, intellectual promise and concern for others—on a scale from “below average” to “one of the top few I’ve ever encountered in my career.” These rankings tell admissions officers a great deal about an applicant. In some cases, they say what a letter cannot because they help admissions officers differentiate between students.

Students are often confused about who they should ask for a recommendation. The most important thing is to ask someone who will advocate strongly on your behalf. Just make sure that they have taught you in a serious academic subject like English, math, social science, history, science or foreign language. Don’t get your main recommendations from your soccer coach, for example, unless he or she is also your American history teacher. If they’re open to it, it doesn’t hurt to sit down with your teachers and tell them a little about the colleges you like and the things that you might want them to highlight in their letters. Make sure to be polite though! Now is not the time to come across as pushy or entitled.

Teachers who write letters of recommendation on your behalf are basically doing you a huge favor, so be considerate. Make sure you give them the forms they need way in advance of the application deadline, and include a stamped and addressed envelope so you don’t waste their time. Always keep the golden rule of treating teachers with respect in mind, regardless. You’ll look back on high school and remember the teachers who helped shape who you are as an adult.