How to Get the Most Out of Teacher Recommendation Letters

The applications of five students with similar grades, test scores, and extracurriculars landed on my desk. “Emily, we can add two more Biology students,” the Dean of Admission shared. “Would you mind presenting these applications in Admission Committee and helping decide which students are the right fit?”

Throughout application review season, I faced the same dilemma: how would we make fine distinctions between students with similar academic qualifications? The students would have strong grades in rigorous curriculums and test scores that fell into our published ranges. They all took advantage of the clubs, sports, and volunteer opportunities at their schools.

Teacher recommendation letters impact admission decisions, especially at highly-selective colleges. Teachers spend the most time with students and can share insights on students’ engagement in class discussion and the quality of their work product. Through recommendation letters, teachers can also shed light on who the student will be in a college classroom, information that is most helpful to Admission Committees.

It is important for students to ask the right teachers. When faced with the task of narrowing down students for the Biology Department, the Admission Committee would lean on letters from math and science teachers. Similarly, if we were narrowing down potential Creative Writing majors, we would put great emphasis on an English teacher’s recommendation. For students who were undecided, letters from one STEM and one Humanities teacher would provide the Admission Committee with the right perspective.

Choosing teachers who know the student well is also helpful. That’s why it is important for students to genuinely engage with their teachers. One way to do this is for students to stay after class to continue conversations on topics that are of particular interest. Through such discussions, students can demonstrate their knowledge of the material and teachers have a chance to learn more about the student.

In order to narrow down our group of Biology applicants in Admission Committee, we focused on students whose teacher recommendations pointed to students’ engagement and intellectual curiosity. From the letters, we wanted feedback on whether the students sought opportunities to extend their learning and how they compared to their classmates. Because of the insightful teacher recommendation letters, we felt confident the two students we selected would impact not only the college classroom but the greater campus as well.