FILTER ARTICLES
Robin Barton discusses how students can pick the correct tutors to write recommendation letters and, if students haven’t had a good relationship with their teachers, what course of action do they take?
The process of choosing teachers or tutors to write recommendations is fraught with anxiety.
A student needs to look ahead and plan ahead to ensure the best possible reference. If you have not had the best possible relationship with your teacher/tutor, you should consider asking for a reference from other teachers/tutors. If you have had a rocky relationship with a teacher/tutor and need that particular teacher/tutor to write a reference, then you need to rebuild that relationship in Year 12 and not at the last minute. I would like to note that teachers/tutors almost invariably write the best possible reference to support their students. Share your Personal Statement with the teacher/tutor along with giving her/him a bullet point list of your successes and what you see as your positive attributes.
It is important to follow the process setup by your particular school and talk to the teacher/tutor early in the process. Towards the end of Year 12 (grade 11) is a good time to talk to your teacher/tutor to give an early indication that you might be asking them to write a reference for your university course.
Asking for reference at the last minute gets a reference that has been written at the last minute. This is not a recipe for success.
A few suggestions are in order…
First, choose a teacher/tutor who has known you for a significant amount of time and has taught you an academic subject that is related to your degree subject, if possible.
Second, consider your academic and personal relationship with that teacher/tutor. Have you worked hard to do your very best in that class? Have you supported the teacher and your peers in the learning process? Have you produced evidence that you are working to your full potential?
Third, broach the topic with the teacher/tutor in broad vague terms. “I will be asking teachers/tutosr for references. Do you ever have to write them Ms/Mr..?” If the impression from the teacher/tutor is less than favourable then find another teacher/tutor to write the reference.
Fourth, as mentioned above, give the teacher a bullet point list of your relevant successes along with evidence of excellence. Teachers work hard and are very busy. They may have forgotten about that outstanding presentation or that assignment they praised so highly two months ago. Remind them. They may not know that you did a summer course in engineering or work experience in a law office. You want to make it easy for the teacher/tutor to write the reference. Go through you previous reports to see if any work or assignment has been mentioned that could fit into the reference.
Fifth, give the teacher/tutor a detailed description of the degree course you wish to pursue, along with some information about why you are a good fit.
A few points here are necessary, as you need to tailor your reference(s) to the university system. If you are applying to the USA or Canada then you need a counsellor/tutor reference that gives information about you as an overall student at the school in comparison to other students at your school. You often need two subject teacher references that focus on your abilities in that particular subject. I recommend at least one subject reference be linked to your degree course and the other can be any academic subject where you have demonstrated excellence.
In the United Kingdom you need the UCAS reference which focuses on your overall academic ability for your degree course.
In conclusion, plan ahead and give the teacher/tutor the information and time to write a supportive reference that is filled with evidence of your successes.
Written by Robin Barton (2011)
Counsellor
Bangkok Patana School
(Thailand)
