Aside from maintaining your grades, studying for the SATs and writing your essays, one of the more difficult parts of the application process is the letter of recommendation. I, for one, had a really tough time because my teachers weren’t particularly good at speaking or writing English, nor did they have very solid relationships with any of the students. Here are my 5 tips for getting GREAT Stanford letters.
Choose Wisely It’s always best to pick a teacher you’re close to, or who likes your work. If you ace her exams constantly and have established a good and professional relationship with him or her, he or she will be a good candidate to write your letter of recommendation. Make sure you have two or three teachers on your list – maybe more, just in case they’re busy–to ensure success.
The Earlier the Better Never EVER leave the letters of recommendation for last. Approach your teachers early, and make sure explain very explicitly what you need from them. Providing timelines and deadlines is always good. Teachers are busy and they might forget, especially if they aren’t used to the U.S. application process.
Build Relationships with Your Teachers This part is what I like to call ‘content-generation’. Based on the Filipino culture, I don’t think that high school teachers get the chance to build strong relationships with their students. Classroom culture is very basic in the Philippines. You listen to the teacher, take their tests and quizzes and participate in class. If you do well, you’re a good student.
However, you have to make yourself stand out in the recommendation letters. You have to be passionate and you have to stand out on paper because of your interests and your personality. Let the teacher know that so that it can reflect well in their letters.
Work Together and BE CLEAR The teacher might not even know where to begin when it comes to writing the letter, make sure that you explain it well, and give them samples to work with. Unlike in the U.S., these letters are a work in progress, you definitely have to work together to make it a success.
Maintain Your Grades and Performance in Class Just because you got them to write your recommendation letter, doesn’t mean you can relax. In fact, I would say that you should definitely try harder and make sure that you do excel in their classes even more.