Host: How should you approach a teacher for a recommendation and when is the best time?

Jerome Cole: Let me start with the letter part first. I think the best time is early. I think, the earlier, the better. Even if you have note down your list of schools, the idea of approaching a teacher at the very beginning of the school year; September, October time frame; and saying to that teacher would you write a letter of recommendation for me for college. I think it is the way to go. I think, in terms of your followup; once the teacher is allowed to respond, I think the very next thing that you want to say to him or her is what can I do to help you? Would a resume help; would a list of my extra curricular activities help? Would a short conversation right now about what I am interested in doing in a college? Why I have selected you to write my letter? You taught me two years ago; do you remember when I did this particular paper, your comments about that paper? Do you remember when I did this project? And I did this and that; you might want to offer those types of help; that type of support, if you will, to a teacher. That is going to be very appreciative, because think about it, in a high school setting you are going to have x amount of teachers, where you only have a small percentage of teachers that are going to be writing letters for seniors; a very small percentage. So, therefore in most cases, they are going to be writing multiple letters and in some cases, there may be a situation where; yeah, I know you; I taught you, but that was a year ago; that was two years ago and in between I have taught couple of hundred other kids and I cannot remember every thing. And so, that is why, after you ask, will you agree to write a letter? And the response is yes. The very next thing that you want to do is to offer the help.

The second thing that you want to do with a teacher is; you want to say to them, either you have your final list and present it to them or you will let them know that I am working on my list; I expect it to get done in a week or two or what have you; as soon as that is done, I will give you the list of schools. I have the deadlines for each school beside it and I will provide you with any teacher recommendation forms, envelops with stamps and address already on it. So, that basically as a teacher all you would be require to do is to sit; drafts up the letter, add it as appropriate, sign it, stick it in the envelop that I gave you and get it off.