‘Tis the time of year when 18-year-olds cry and sweat puddles scrambling to put college applications together to meet that scary early deadline in November. Having to deal with SAT and ACT classes, writing essays, meeting deadlines, plus keeping up your grades when it’s back-to-school time is very daunting. One aspect that’s no less important, yet often overlooked? Teacher recommendations. What teachers have to say about who students are is of central concern to competitive universities.

Across all areas of the application, colleges seek to get to know students and assess whether the student is a fit for their college, and potentially worth their investment. An effective teacher recommendation helps colleges get to know the candidate inside the classroom, their intellectual depth and curiosity, work ethic and reaction to setbacks. The mistake many teachers make is the use of broad generalities and adjectives in describing students, as opposed to specific anecdotes and examples of how a student has demonstrated that he/she is “hardworking” or “excellent”.

What information should you provide to your teacher?

The aim is to make your recommendation as personal as possible and to do this, your teachers need to write in-depth and meaningful anecdotes about their experiences teaching YOU. The only way to ensure that this happens is to remind teachers of these experiences, and anything that stands out to you about the nature of your participation in the classroom and on assignments and exams.

Here are some things you should consider sending to your teacher:

1) Samples of the best assignments submitted to the teacher

2) A synopsis of experiences/ interactions with the teacher. These will serve to remind the teacher of his/her time with you and help them to write more vivid stories about you in your recommendation.

3) Examples of existing strong recommendations. These will serve as templates for your recommendation. A powerful recommendation highlights the following:

· Academic achievement

· Intellectual merit

· Intellectual curiousity

· Participation in class discussions

· Commitment to a particular field of study or subject area

· A teacher’s confidence in the student’s abilities and potential

MAKE SURE to submit these documents in a folder. Good presentation is a reflection on your character!

Teachers should AVOID re-listing your extracurricular involvement since this will not provide colleges with any new insight (these activities are listed elsewhere in the application).

Who and when to ask for a recommendation letter?

A teacher who has taught you in Lower 6 is ideal since this is the last full year of you colleges will see before they make a decision on your application . A Lower 6 teacher has the most recent perspective on who you are as a student. The teacher selected should teach the student in a core subject like English and/or maths. Most colleges require two academic recommendations and prefer for them to speak to how both sides of your brain work (science and history or maths and English).

PAY ATTENTION to the grades you got in a teacher’s class before asking them for a recommendation. It’s always great to ask a teacher in whose class you scored an A, or in whose class you encountered challenges but recovered by improving your performance and grade. However, if the teacher doesn’t know you that well, it might be better to ask one who does, despite having got a lower grade in that class.

AVOID asking teachers for recommendations a week or two before they are due. Give him/her at least six-eight weeks’ notice and remember to remind him/her frequently.

Teachers SHOULD use the recommendation to explain anomalies in grades, attendance, etc. Sometimes the transcript might reflect a dip in grades or a period of excessive absence which a teacher would be able to account for, eg prolonged illness, death of a family member, etc.

ASK for recommendations from teachers whose subjects align somewhat with your plans for tertiary education. For example, if you plan to become a doctor, ask your biology or chemistry teacher. This is only valid if you are positive that you have done well in these classes.

And what about counsellor/school official recommendations?

The purpose of these is to provide context on the student’s school environment and performance/involvement within that school. In the Jamaican context, students only know the counsellors if they have had issues. Since most students do not have an ongoing relationship with the school counsellor or the official writing the recommendation, it is imperative that the student has a conversation about his/her interests, plans and goals in order to provide information to furnish the recommendations. Students should be sure to outline any extenuating personal circumstances that may have affected his/her life during school (this can either explain dips in grades, or make consistently good grades look even BETTER!).

The central questions colleges seek to answer with recommendations are these: What is this student’s character? Would this student be a good roommate? Would professors at our place love to teach this student? Would this student have an impact inside and outside of the classroom?

I’ve seen mediocre or bad recommendations tank an otherwise stellar application. Think carefully and choose wisely!

Nicole McLaren Campbell is the founder and CEO of AIM Educational Services, an independent college admissions counsellor, and public speaker. Contact her at nicole@aimeduservices.com.