Teachers and Counselors Write Thousands of Letters of Recommendation Every Year. Here are some strategies to make them stronger and easier to writer.

1. Teacher and Counselors Letters
of Recommendations
HOW BELMONT HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS AND
C O U N S E L O R S C A N S T R E N G T H E N A S T U D E N T ’ S
APPLICATION CHANCES
REBECCA JOSEPH
RJOSEPH@CALSTATELA.EDU
FB: GETMETOCOLLEGE FREEADVICE

2. Let’s Get Started…
1. Quickly write down your fears or dread of writing
letters of recommendation for students?
2. Why do you think colleges still ask for these letters
even though students rarely submit negative
letters?

3. Goals for Today
1. Teacher and counselor letters often help break ties
and tip students into a college. They often help
students get scholarship money. Let’s think why.
2. As we look through tips, write down any ongoing
questions you may have.
3. As we look at sample, write down qualities of the
letters that are strong and/or could be improved.

4. Teacher Recommendations
Teacher recommendations:
 Provide the admissions offices/scholarship committees with
information that helps with the admission/selection decision
 Should indicate what kind of learner the student is (inquisitive,
critical thinking skills etc.)
 Should focus on academics in your subject – depth and breadth
of student ability
 Should address intellectual potential through examples of
student work
 Can include anecdotes that speak to student personality and
academic talents
 Should be at least three to five detailed paragraphs
 It is ok to decline the student’s request for any reason – please
notify the student and counselor if possible.

5. Teacher and Counselor Letters
 Can include observations about the student gleaned from
work in a club or other school activity
 Should and can mention real resiliency, leadership, and
initiative
 Should not duplicate what is in the other kinds of
recommendations or information that can be found
elsewhere in the student application
 Can comment on the academic rigor that the student can
handle
 The hidden ? Is why? Why should our institution admit
this student?

6. Processes
 Student should approach you and make the request
within a reasonable amount of time
 You should feel comfortable and confident that you
know the student well before you agree to write a
recommendation
 Counselors and teachers should require student brag
sheets with core information to assist in the writing
of the letters
 Student resumes are also very useful to review

7. Some more writing tips
 To review
 The recommendation letter should set apart the student and
present information that allows college admissions personnel
to clearly differentiate the applicant from his peers. In many
cases, the competition toward acceptance is intensely fierce
and the letter may help to portray the student in a unique way.
 Letters should be straightforward, personalized, very specific,
and limited to one to two pages.
 Use handy student and parent brag sheets, graded student
work, resumes, and formal request letters to get detailed
information directly from students and their parents to
personalize letters.

8. Use Into Through and Beyond Writing Method
 Use a three to four paragraph model following the
Into, Through and Beyond model.

9. INTO
 The initial (INTO) paragraph should grip the reader
and get him interested in the applicant. Never begin
a letter with the statement, “I have been asked to
write this letter on behalf of…” It is helpful to be
creative in setting the tone: “Should anyone ask why
Joe Blow is such a famous face around our high
school campus, the answer is certainly because he is
the highly valued team captain of the Spur-Flies, our
tiny underdog robotics team that swept the April
2014 VEX World Robotics Competition in Dallas.
This paragraph should also include how long and
how well you know the student.

10. THROUGH
 The body of the letter (THROUGH) should address the following
elements with specific examples that include powerful adjective and
verbs:
 Evidence of leadership
 Special skills and accomplishments
 Integrity and Character
 Examples of academic excellence and leadership and initiative
 If you highlight the student’s integrity or leadership be prepared to
cite examples demonstrating this trait. Refer to projects, papers,
and other academic accomplishments that illustrate these qualities.
Colleges want to know if an applicant can write and research.
 Colleges look at how a student will fit into their particular culture
and how successful he will be completing four years of study. If
applicable, highlight obstacles overcome by the student in his or her
high school career.

11. BEYOND
 Close (BEYOND) with evidence that you believe the
student will thrive in particular college environments
and how much the student will add to a college
community.
 Include how they can contact you via phone or email
to get more information

12. Data to Collect
 Data to help your collect the information to write these
letters include
 A student brag sheet in which students list
 Their favorite moments in your class
 Their favorite academic interactions with you and with classmates.
 The way they learned best
 Examples of their academic development in activities, essays, projects, and
groups.
 Their college hopes and dreams-academically, socially, and activities.
 Their college list-are the schools small liberal arts or large public institutions.
 Ask them to attach their best, graded academic work from your class
 A parent, relative, or friend brag sheet in which the recommender
lists
 The qualities teachers may not know about the student
 A sample first paragraph for a letter of recommendation to a college
 The ways in which the student developed in your class.

13.  A resume in which students list
 Their activities in and out of school with evidence of consistency,
development, leadership, and initiative. Activities categories can
include in school and out of school activities, jobs, community service.
 The ways they have spent their summers.
 Other academic experiences.
 A formal letter of request in which they
 State all colleges and deadlines
 Provide you with highlights of their successes in your class
 Summarize why they think you are key to their college admissions.
 Examples of graded student work that the student feels best
reflect his work in your class.
 Students college essays, including supplemental ones about
academic interests.

14. Timeline
US
Early Decision and Early Action letters have Nov. 1 –
November 15 deadlines
CSU EOP deadlines vary depending on the campus. First
deadlines are November 30.
Regular admissions begin December 1-mid January for
most colleges.
Some start colleges in other states are rolling from now
through April.
Some students will require more than one teacher
recommendation

15. Sample Letter
 April 1, 2014
 Re: Letter of Recommendation for Martin Garcia, Jr.
 To Whom It May Concern:
 I have known Martin Garcia Jr. for four years as his geometry teacher, his leadership advisor, and one of his biggest supporters and “cheerleaders”.
In this time, Martin has shown absolute brilliance in character, demeanor, and athletic and academic prowess. He has been a solid student (3.8 – 4.0 GPA)
every year, he has held a campus leadership position each year, this year he is the Associated Student Body Vice-President, and he has lettered in all of the
sports which he participates. He is just an exceptional young man of the school community and the La Puente community as well.
 As his freshman honors geometry teacher, I remember our first test. Martin took up until the bell to complete his test. I thought he struggled.
However, upon grading it, I saw that he used his time wisely. He scored a very high 98 percent. Each test after that was the same, always very methodical,
always a score in the nineties. I knew he was special. I found out that at the end of the year he passed his Advanced Placement Geography exam, only one of
five students to do so. He has been one of our top performing students ever since.
 As his leadership advisor, I noticed that Martin was never shy to speak upon improving student affairs and being involved in campus
improvements. He was involved in the Junior Class advisory board, the Video effects for Performances (which is incredible) and now the ASB Vice-President.
He is always at either the lead of the group or making his presence accounted for in the group. He is serious about the outlook and legacy he will be leaving the
school. He leads by example in students making good decisions not to do drugs and alcohol by participating in groups that promote safety and awareness. He
has become passionate about the betterment of his school, his classmates and the community.
 I could tell you more about Martin, like his church involvement and his great relationship with his family. He has two brothers, also at our high
school, also my former students, also doing well in school. I will say it again; Martin is absolutely exceptional, with the best attitude, a great family, and well
respected by adults and peers alike. I grow sadder as I finish this letter, knowing that it means I won’t get to see him as much next year. I know, however, he
will leave us a great legacy here at La Puente High School.
 Most Sincerely,
 Diori R. Jones
University Freshman Geometry Teacher
Associated Student Body Advisor
Friday Night Live Safety Awareness Coordinator

16. Some Final Ideas
 Writing a student college recommendation can be an
exciting experience if you know enough about the student
to paint a vivid picture of who the person is that you are
recommending.
 Here are some cool writing resources.
 Positive Personality adjectives:
http://justenglish.me/2014/03/17/positive-personality-adjectives-
list/
Leadership Character and Traits
http://www.sos.net/~donclark/leader/leadchr.html
 Tips for Students About Letters of Recommendation
http://getmetocollege.org/hs/application-essay-tips/teacher-recommendations

17. Contact Me/Get Powerpoint
 I can come to your classes and speak on a range of
topics. rjoseph@calstatela.edu
 This powerpoint and many of my other ones are
available on slideshare.net/getmetocollege
 I’m speaking at NCTE this Friday on ways teachers
can embed college application essays into their
ongoing teaching. Would you want to pilot this
curriculum with me, let me know.