Nail Your Letter of Rec

By Quetzal Mama • May 17, 2017

It’s mid-May. High school juniors should be talking with teachers right now about letters of recommendation. Right now? ¿Porque? Because they’re the folks who will write your letters for college applications next fall. Nope, not your senior year teachers.

Why letters from your junior year teachers? Two reasons. First, because they are the best folks to provide a current snapshot of your abilities. Senior year teachers will have only taught you @ 90 days before you submit your apps. That’s not enough time to assess your strengths. Second, these teachers will have taught more difficult/rigorous materials (compared to freshman or sophomore years) – and admission folks will be all over that.

Getting your junior year teacher to write the letter now means you can come up with key examples your teachers may wish to include in your letter. Right now, everything is fresh in your mind (and theirs). Because teachers have lots of students, with many classes each day . . . if you ask them next fall, they’re not likely to recall specific details about you. And, it’s the details colleges are looking for!

Next question: Which teachers should write your letters of recommendation? This is easy if you follow Quetzal Mama’s killer rubric. Check this out:

Quetzal Mama’s Killer Recommender Rubric

Esto Sí	Eso No!
Course you got the best grade	Course you got a marginal grade
Core Class (English, Math, Science, History, Language)	Non-core class (PE, AVID, Art)
Most rigorous course	Easy classes, like PE
Teacher you established good rapport	Teacher who doesn’t really know you
Preferably an AP or IB course	Non-Honors or Non AP/IB
Course related to your intended major	Course unrelated to your major
Teacher who’ll say great things about you!	Teacher who only does “blind” letters

But, you also want balance. For example, if you’re applying to a STEM major, it’s critical to get a letter from your AP Calculus teacher (or AP Biology, etc.). But, you’ll also want the 2^nd letter from a non-STEM teacher – like AP English or AP US History. The combination of these letters will demonstrate critical understanding of your core subject, plus strong writing ability or complex understanding of politics.

There are a few exceptions to this rubric. One, if your school doesn’t offer AP or IB courses, you won’t be “dinged” for that. Two, if your intended major is a non-core class (like Art or Computer Science), then you’ll definitely want a letter from that teacher. By the way, what is a “blind” letter of recommendation? It’s a letter in which you haven’t seen the contents because the recommender says it’s their policy (or they are just inflexible, salty individuals).

Now that you know WHO will write your letter, you need to know WHAT should go in the letter. To start, don’t use the “Brag Sheet” most teachers will ask you to fill out. Why not? Because, brag sheets tend to produce letters that mimic what you’ll already tell the college admissions folks. For example, they’re going to know your impressive GPA, leadership, extra-curriculars, etc. That’s not helpful for them. They want to know stuff that’s not in your application.

Like what kind of stuff? They want to know stuff that sets you apart and distinguishes you from other students. They also want to know whether you can handle a rigorous undergraduate program, like theirs. They’re interested in your personality disposition. If you need to see examples of what this looks like, get the latest Quetzal Mama book that goes into detail on letters of rec.

Now, on to the logistics. Most colleges on the Common Application want 3 letters – 2 from teachers and 1 from your counselor. Before you can say, “Yeah but, I’m only applying to state colleges. They don’t require letters of rec.” Okay, but here’s what you don’t know:

1. The University of California (all 9 campuses) can request letters Fall 2017

2. Some selective programs (majors) may require letters of recommendation.

3. Most importantly . . . you’re going to need some great letters for all the scholarship applications you submit in your senior year!

Now you know why you should start crafting your letters now. You also know how to pick the right recommender. And, you know the right content for the letters. But, what about your counselor’s recommendation? Don’t sweat this one. Colleges know secondary counselors have upwards of 300 (and sometimes 500) to 1 ratios. That means, realistically, counselors can’t provide meaningful (or useful) letters for most students. For this reason, it’s critical to focus on the teacher recommendations.

If all of this sounds confusing, or if you just need help to begin crafting sample letters, Quetzal Mama hosts summer college boot camps! The letter of recommendation is just one of the dozens of components we complete in these camps. You’ll leave fully armed with draft letters, draft personal statements, shortlist of colleges tailored for you, and how to win scholarships. We got you!

Now go talk to your teachers about those letters! The last day of schools is quickly approaching . . . and your teachers don’t work summers. Don’t wait until next fall, because Quetzal Mama wants you to be focused on early admission applications, applying to “full ride” programs, and studying to nail your ACT, SAT, or Subject Tests!

Buena Suerte! La Quetzal Mama