Nearly every student will ask for a letter of recommendation before they finish applying for college. At Paul VI, we do ask students to use a letter of recommendation request form. While the form has instructions on it, I would like to use this post to address a few additional points about asking for a letter of recommendation:

1)      Always be sure to ask your teacher in person. It is too easy to lose a scrap of paper, an email, or a voicemail these days. But if you are able to make eye contact with someone and make your request personal, you are far more likely to receive what you are looking for. There is no need to be shy about asking for a recommendation.

2)      If you have a school that requires teacher evaluations on a specific form please bring that form with you when you make the request. If the school only accepts online recommendations, bring the instructions for the teacher with you. Do not just say that it’s on the school’s website.

3)      Be prepared to remind the teacher of some of the good things you did in their class. Talking with a teacher about what you hope they will highlight is often helpful.

4)      Please say thank you. Being polite and showing good manners is never a bad idea when you are asking for a recommendation. You might even want to write a thank you note to your teacher.