How to Write Letters of Recommendation for Students

‘Tis the season for deadlines for all those letters of recommendation you agreed to write. There are many types of requests for these that cross our desks, but perhaps none so daunting as the letter of recommendation for university admission (well, there are the ones related to the court system, but that’s a topic for another day). Wouldn’t it have been nice to have at least one lecture in one of our teacher prep courses called “How to Write Letters of Recommendation for Students”? No? Just us? November and December are hard times as a teacher: you’re exhausted and trying to wrap up a semester while also juggling the demands of the holidays (and maybe even trying to find a minute or two to enjoy them). And then those requests for letters of recommendation start coming in (on top of the ones you got in August and September and the beginning of October, but have been putting off. No? Just us?). On the one hand, it’s an honor to be asked, and as teachers of course we want to do everything we can to help our students get to college. But it’s also stressful: it takes time, what you say matters, and, depending on what course you teach, you may be getting a lot of requests. Whether you’re looking for tips to streamline the process or are struggling to know what to write, we’re sharing some of the strategies that have worked for us to help you cross this item off your to-do list.

First of all, don’t feel obligated to say yes. Not going to lie, it is hard to look a student in the eye and tell them you won’t be able to help them. But you are a human, and you have your limits. 

Tips to Help Make Things Easier

• Decide how many letters of recommendation you can manage, and feel free to say no once you’ve reached that number. And when we say “manage,” what we really mean is how many do you feel comfortable writing? We can all stay up until the wee hours of the morning cranking out letter after letter, but how many can you give your whole effort and attention to? (For reference, for Kate this was 8-10, but some years as low as 5; for Stephanie, it was probably similar, but she wasn’t as good about standing firm).

• If a student you really like, and want to help out, comes to you at the last minute, look at your to-do list and be honest about whether you really have time to write it. If they ask you at the last minute, you are not obligated to help. Pardon us for a moment of cold, hard truth: if they’re asking at the last minute, it’s because their first choice fell through. Keep this in mind and maybe even ask about it if you’re on the do-I-don’t-I fence.

• If you cannot write a good letter of recommendation because of a student’s academic performance or poor decisions they made in your class, tell them that. In serious cases, it’s worth a clear no. Sometimes, however, this can be a more gentle conversation: we’ve talked to students about how they really should find a teacher in whose class they did better. We’ve also said if they really have no one else, we can write a letter, but we will have to be honest about their shortcomings. In some cases, students will say you are the best option for them, but at least they know what to expect from you.

Get some basic information about the student. Many high schools have a form for students to fill out when requesting a letter of recommendation, which students often submit with a transcript and a resume. These are the easiest letters to write! If your school doesn’t have that form, take a few minutes to ask them about their goals for the future, extracurricular activities (inside or outside of school), and their family background or any significant challenges they have had to overcome. This gives you a little bit more to work with as you write your letter, especially if it’s been a year or two since you had the student or you don’t know a lot about their personal situation.

Have a template for yourself. Staring at a blank page feels overwhelming, but if you have a go-to format for writing letters of recommendation, it makes it much easier. However, do be mindful that reviewers pick up nuances in phrasing. A generic letter doesn’t help a student, so if you genuinely recommend a student, you need to include specific details and personalize the letter enough to make your recommendation clear. (On the flip side, when you don’t have a lot to say about a student or have reservations about recommending them, generic phrasing is a way to write seemingly positive things about the student while subtly signaling to colleges that your recommendation is not as strong.)

A Helpful Structure

1. Start with an opening paragraph that identifies the student, your relationship with them (and any courses they took with you), and a “thesis” about a few key qualities you admire in the student and will expand on in the rest of your letter.

2. Write a paragraph about the student’s performance in your class. Provide specific examples of details, trends, or habits you observed in the student’s work or attitude. This is the biggest piece of advice we received in trainings over the years: colleges want concrete examples rather than generic statements.

3. Write a paragraph about the student outside of your class. Maybe you also have the student in an elective. Maybe you have spoken with the student’s other teachers and know they have a good reputation across campus. Maybe the student is involved in a lot of clubs and activities. Give a little bit of context for the student’s accomplishments.

4. Write a paragraph about any challenging personal or family circumstances you are aware of. The better you know a student, the more aware you will be of these kinds of circumstances, but if you know them, they can provide helpful context for that student’s performance. If you’re writing the academic letter of recommendation (and chances are, you are), keep this discussion in relation to the student’s performance in school, their ability to participate in extracurricular activities, etc.

5. Close with a “call to action” in which you state your belief that the student is well-prepared for the challenges of higher education and restate your recommendation. Provide contact information should the reviewer have further questions about the student.

Pro tip! If your school has a digital letterhead, it makes your letter look a lot more professional than a plain white document. Ask your office manager if you can get a copy.

We mentioned earlier about writing for students for whom you may not be able to give a full, positive, enthusiastic recommendation. As we suggested you tell the student, you may need to remind yourself: be honest, but find something to compliment. If a student didn’t get a good grade in your class, there’s no point in hiding it; the student’s transcript is part of their application. However, you can acknowledge this while still praising the student’s effort, character, or growth. For example, you might write something like this: “While she struggled to complete assignments on time, [student] accepted responsibility for its effect on her grade and appreciated being surrounded by students who challenged her to push herself further. She has a lot of room for growth, but I believe she benefited greatly from her active participation in class discussions.”

Finally, remember you are not the one applying to college. It can feel like a lot of pressure, especially if you’re writing a letter to a top-tier college. But remember you are just adding some information to the student’s application package, not determining the final result. Sure, if you say something really troubling about a student, that may be a contributing factor to the admission reader’s decision (but if you brought it up, that was probably your intent!), but if you present an honest letter about the things the student has done well in your class, your letter is unlikely to make or break anyone’s college chances. It’s on the student to do the work for four years to be competitive and to put together an application that represents them in the best light possible. It’s also part of the application process, and an important life skill, to choose the right person to make the best recommendation possible. If a student made a poor choice in selecting you, especially if you made that clear from the beginning, the responsibility is theirs, not yours. Give the task the respect it deserves, but don’t sweat it.

What tips have we missed? Do you have your own go-to strategies or template? Do you have a tricky situation we haven’t addressed? Reach out to us at [email protected] or DM us @threeheads.works. We’ve written our fair share of these letters, and we’d love to help you get through this exhausting season!

this was a game-changer!

If you’re trying to manage helping students with their college application essays and personal statements while also juggling letters of recommendation, consider checking out this YouTube video to learn how we went from being at 100+ seniors’ beck-and-call to focusing our attention on those students who really wanted and valued our feedback. It was a game-changer for us and we hope it can be for you as well!