A strong college recommendation can show admissions officers what you are like as a student, classmate, and member of your school community. Choose recommenders who know you well, give them plenty of time, and provide the information they need to write a specific and personal letter.
What Is a College Letter of Recommendation?
A letter of recommendation is a written evaluation submitted by someone who knows you in an academic, professional, or other relevant setting. Colleges may use recommendations to learn more about qualities that are difficult to capture through grades, courses, activities, and test scores alone.
A useful recommendation can provide examples of your:
Academic Ability
Classroom performance, intellectual curiosity, writing, problem solving, persistence, and work habits.
Character
Responsibility, maturity, integrity, initiative, resilience, cooperation, and attitude.
Contributions
The ways you contribute to a class, team, organization, workplace, or school community.
A recommendation should add another perspective to your application rather than simply repeating your transcript, résumé, or activities list.
Check Each College’s Requirements First
Recommendation requirements are not the same at every college. Some schools require teacher recommendations, some request a counselor recommendation, some allow additional recommenders, and some do not require recommendations at all.
Before asking anyone, check:
- How many recommendations the college requires or accepts
- Whether a counselor recommendation is required
- How many teacher recommendations are needed
- Whether the teacher must teach a particular subject
- Whether recommendations from employers, coaches, mentors, or other people are accepted
- The submission method
- The recommendation deadline
More letters are not automatically better. Do not submit extra recommendations unless the college allows them and the additional letter provides useful information that is not already covered.
Who Should You Ask?
The best recommender is usually someone who knows your work well and can describe you with specific examples. A famous title or impressive position is less useful if the person barely knows you.
Teachers
Teachers can discuss your performance, intellectual curiosity, participation, work habits, growth, and contributions in the classroom.
Counselors
Counselors can provide broader context about your academic record, school environment, accomplishments, interests, and goals.
Other Recommenders
When a college permits them, an employer, coach, mentor, or another adult may provide a useful perspective on your abilities and character.
Choosing a Teacher
A teacher who knows you well is generally a stronger choice than someone whose class you took only because you earned an easy A.
Consider teachers who:
- Taught you recently, often during junior or senior year
- Know your academic work well
- Have seen you participate, improve, or overcome difficulty
- Can discuss specific projects, assignments, or classroom contributions
- Know something about your interests or goals
- Seem comfortable writing a positive and detailed recommendation
The teacher who gave you your highest grade is not necessarily the person who can write the strongest recommendation. Specific knowledge of you matters more.
When Should You Ask?
Ask well before the application deadline. Teachers and counselors may be writing recommendations for many students while also handling their regular responsibilities.
Giving your recommender about a month or more is a reasonable target. Students applying early in the fall may want to approach teachers near the end of junior year or early in senior year, depending on the procedures at their school.
A Good Timeline
- Check recommendation requirements for every college on your list.
- Identify the teachers, counselor, or other recommenders you may need.
- Ask each person whether they are willing to recommend you.
- Give them the deadline and any supporting information they request.
- Send the formal electronic invitation only after they have agreed.
- Check the application system later to confirm that the recommendation was submitted.
How Should You Ask?
Ask personally when practical rather than sending an unexpected application-system invitation.
Explain that you are applying to college, tell the person why you thought of them, and ask whether they would be comfortable writing a strong recommendation for you.
Give them an easy opportunity to decline. A teacher who is too busy or does not feel able to write a detailed letter is better off telling you before you send the formal request.
What Should You Give Your Recommender?
Your school may already have a recommendation questionnaire or “brag sheet.” If not, a concise information sheet can help a recommender remember details and understand your goals.
Useful Information to Provide
- Your full name and preferred contact information
- The colleges or programs you are applying to
- All recommendation deadlines
- Your intended major or areas of academic interest
- Activities, work, volunteering, leadership, or significant responsibilities
- Awards or accomplishments that may be relevant
- Specific work you completed in that teacher’s class
- Something important you learned or improved in the class
- Any instructions provided by the college or application system
- Anything else your recommender specifically asks you to provide
The goal is to remind the recommender of useful information, not to write the letter for them or dictate exactly what they should say.
What Makes a Recommendation Useful?
You usually will not control the contents of the letter, but understanding what colleges may find helpful can guide your choice of recommender.
Strong recommendations often include specific observations and examples rather than broad statements such as “she is hardworking” or “he is a good student.”
Specific Examples
Projects, classroom discussions, research, writing, leadership, teamwork, improvement, or responses to a difficult assignment.
Personal Perspective
Observations about how you learn, interact with others, approach challenges, contribute, or demonstrate curiosity and initiative.
What About a Weak Grade or Difficult Circumstances?
A counselor may sometimes be able to provide useful context about unusual circumstances that affected your academic record or high school experience.
If there is important context that colleges should understand, discuss it privately with your counselor. Explain what happened and ask whether it belongs in the counselor recommendation, another school document, or an additional-information section of your application.
Do not ask a recommender to make excuses for an ordinary disappointing grade. Additional context is most useful when there is genuinely relevant information that the application would otherwise fail to show.
Recommendations and the Common App
Students using the Common App can review each college’s recommendation requirements in the application.
In general, the process includes:
- Open the college under My Colleges.
- Go to the Recommenders and FERPA section.
- Complete the FERPA Release Authorization if you have not already done so.
- Invite the appropriate recommender.
- Assign the recommender to the college when required.
- Monitor the recommendation status as application deadlines approach.
Students whose high schools use Naviance or another Common App integration may follow a different process for inviting counselors and teachers. Follow the instructions shown within your application and the procedures used by your high school.
What Is the FERPA Waiver?
The Common App recommendation process includes a FERPA Release Authorization. Students should read the authorization carefully before making a selection.
College Board recommends waiving your right to view recommendation letters, noting that admissions officers may place greater confidence in a confidential recommendation.
Once you make your FERPA selection, follow the instructions provided by the application platform if you have questions about changing it.
Following Up With Recommenders
Keep track of your recommendation status instead of assuming that every request has been completed.
If a deadline is approaching and the application system still shows a recommendation as incomplete, a polite reminder is appropriate.
Remember that you are asking someone to do additional work on your behalf. Give them time, provide complete information, and keep reminders courteous.
Say Thank You
Thank each person who writes a recommendation for you. A short handwritten note or thoughtful email is enough.
You may also want to update recommenders after you have made your college decision. Teachers and counselors often appreciate learning where their students ultimately enroll.
Common Recommendation Mistakes
- Waiting until the last minute: Give recommenders enough time to write thoughtfully.
- Choosing only by job title: Pick someone who actually knows you and your work.
- Ignoring college requirements: Make sure you use the recommender types each school requests.
- Sending an invitation without asking: Speak with the recommender before entering their information into an application.
- Providing no supporting information: Give your recommender deadlines and useful background information.
- Submitting unnecessary extra letters: Follow each college’s limits and instructions.
- Constantly checking on the letter: Monitor the deadline, but avoid repeatedly pressuring your recommender.
- Forgetting to say thank you: Acknowledge the time someone spent supporting your application.
Recommendation Checklist
- Check the requirements for each college.
- Identify people who know you well.
- Ask recommenders before sending electronic invitations.
- Give them plenty of advance notice.
- Provide all deadlines.
- Give them useful background information.
- Complete any required FERPA authorization.
- Follow your school’s submission procedures.
- Monitor the status before deadlines.
- Thank each recommender after the letter is complete.
Recommendation Resources
Common App First-Year Application Guide
Review how recommendation requirements work and how recommenders are invited and assigned through the Common App.
Common App Recommender Guide
Learn what counselors, teachers, and other recommenders may be asked to provide through the Common App.