You say you want me to write you a rec?
Assuming that you understand that I am obligated to be honest, I am very happy to write a
recommendation for you based on what I know of you as a student and/or as a
person. But I would like to ask you to do a few things first:
I know: I had you in class. But for what, a semester?
A year? Two years?
Do I know enough about you to
write a good rec? Perhaps you should supply me with a
bio sheet if I do not.
Also, if you have been in my
class and have done some interesting
writing that I might be able
to incorporate into your rec, give me a copy with
your other items (preferably via e-mail; it makes incorporating it into the rec that much easier).
If I had you as an
underclassman, I often like to
quote from portfolio pieces and/or process letters in my recs. Please take the
time to email me copies of major pieces and letters. Send them to any of my addresses. If
you no longer have important documents on your computer, then give me your
portfolio.
It's easy to overlook small details, but here's a rule of thumb:
if you are asking someone a favor, make it as easy for them to help you as
possible. In requesting recs, there are several
simple things that you can do to make a teacher's life easier:
Provide stamped envelopes with
the school's return address. (Most colleges don't like the rec
returned to you if it somehow fails to be delivered; they feel it compromises
candor.)
I prefer envelopes that I do not
have to lick. Do you have any clue how ugly the taste of glue gets after
awhile? Therefore, use only
self-adhesive envelopes!
Let me know what each envelope
is for. Put a post-it note on each envelope (or attached group of
envelopes) indicating the due
date of the rec. Write your name and SS# (which colleges use
as ID) on the inside flap of every envelope! (You'd be surprised how many loose envelopes appear in my bag
with nothing on them for identification.)
Here's the Truth of the Universe: I write elaborate letters for each
student. Universities always accept these with or without the "form" application. (If you look on
the common app form, you'll note that it specifically states that alternative
means of reference are acceptable.) Therefore, I suggest that you save us both
the trouble and don't bother with it.
If you insist, though:
Fill out as much of the form as
possible. Students always
fill out their own names and addresses, but they often don't think about other
lines. The ones that say Teacher's Name, School, School Address, Classes in
which you had the student, Years you have known the student, etc., may not seem
like much to you, but if I am faced with dozens of recs
to write these things can be a terrible nuisance. Filling them out in advance
is a nice thing to do for any teacher who is taking the time to write these things
for you.
I won't be offended; in fact, it
will help guarantee that I don't get so bogged down with other things that your
rec slips my mind.
I am always amazed at the number
of recs I write that vanish into a black hole. If a teacher is interested
enough in you to take the time to write a rec, he or she is probably interested
enough to want to know the results.