Teacher Interview – Mrs. Raphaels on Recommendation Letters
November 12, 2015
As students enter their third year of high school and the impending thought of college approaches, many begin to consider asking their teachers for college recommendation letters. Since this process is fairly unfamiliar for most students, questions regarding the whole procedure of asking for and acquiring these letters are not uncommon. Fortunately, Mrs. Raphaels, who teaches AP Macroeconomics and Government and AP Microeconomics at Ridge, was kind enough to meet with me to give advice to those who are a bit unsure of where to start. Our conversation was as follows:
Wanxing Lu (Reporter for The Devil’s Advocate): What should students consider before asking their teachers for recommendations?
Mrs. Raphaels: Students should consider whether or not the teacher can explain how the student stood out in the class…What does the student believe he or she has communicated to the teacher during their time together? In other words, what will the teacher be able to say about the student as a unique individual?
WL: How many letters should they accumulate?
R: Students should find out how many letters (if any) are required by the schools to which they are applying. The number of letters accepted by colleges can be anywhere from zero, to four, to an unlimited amount. Some schools have minimum requirements others have maximum requirements. Most of the students I work with ask two teachers to write letters of recommendation.
WL: Does it matter what subject the teacher teaches or can a student ask any teacher that they like?
R: Students should keep in mind which specific programs they are applying to and how their high school experiences match with the programs’ requirements. For example, if a student is applying as an undecided major, he or she may choose the teacher they believe can write the most positive and specific letter. However, if a student is applying for, say, an engineering program, even though his or her English teacher may be in a position to write the most glowing account of the student, the English teacher might not have evidence to write the most compelling support for a student’s qualifications for engineering. Instead, the student should consider asking a math or science teacher for a letter.
WL: About what time should students start asking for recommendation letters?
R: They should start asking for letters around the beginning of the second semester [of their Junior year].
WL: So from then until the end of Junior year?
R: Yes. Actually, I’m still finishing up some letters. Definitely wait until after January 15th, when the teachers are finished with their current letters.
W: Can you explain what teachers consider when they are synthesizing a student’s letter?
R: They think about the student’s academic performance relative to classmates, work ethic, character, and their knowledge of his or her personality. Are they the most intelligent? Are they the most willing to help others? Or do they only care about grades? If the student believes that he or she has communicated very positive attributes, such as academic talent, generosity, and helpfulness, then that’s good. On the other hand, if the teacher catches you cheating on a test, well – it’s maybe not the best idea to ask them.
W: Yeah, probably not the best decision…Anyway, thank you so much for your advice and time!
R: No problem! Also, students can start thinking now about how they can take action in their current classes to show their teachers what they can do to stand out—and it makes filling out the applications easier in the future.
To summarize Mrs. Raphaels’ words of wisdom, students should base their letter decisions off of the requirements of their individual schools, and should also be proactive in demonstrating to their teachers that they stand out in their class, whether it be academically, personality-wise, or in some other regard. Show care for the subject matter and a willingness to help others! It’s important to make conscious decisions about academic integrity and to better the classroom environment. Best of luck to everyone!
Sanath Nagaraj • Feb 29, 2016 at 12:54 pm
Very well written article. The topic of the article is very applicable to all people in ridge right now. Underclassmen should surely read and understand what is being said here as multiple teachers do not enjoy writing letters for people who they do not know that well. This is actually a more important article for seniors as they need to realize that once college hits they need to also build relationships with professors so they can get recommendations for future endeavors like grad school and jobs.
Talia Shakhnovsky • Nov 16, 2015 at 1:43 pm
It’s interesting to learn about the letter of recommendation process. The impact an individual teacher can make, not only in terms of their actual teaching, but also in their letter about a student is huge. The many options in choosing teachers are a good exercise for students to explore their possibilities and gain responsibility.
Saisuki • Nov 16, 2015 at 12:53 pm
As a senior this year, I remember feeling worried about how and who to ask for recommendation letters. I think this article is a great way for students, especially juniors this year, to figure out how to get a head start for their college applications next year and think about building a positive relationship with their teachers.
Drew • Nov 16, 2015 at 12:49 pm
This article offers great insight from a teacher’s perspective for students in need of letters of recommendation.
kevin korn • Nov 16, 2015 at 12:23 pm
I agree mrs rapheals its really important to get letters of reccomentation from your teachers and I liked how she was interveiwed and you could tell it was very thought out.
Caroline Buley • Nov 16, 2015 at 12:15 pm
I think this article is very helpful for juniors. I like the part where Mrs. Raphaels explains what teachers look for when writing their letters so it is easier for people to choose the right teacher for them.
Brianna Stein • Nov 16, 2015 at 12:14 pm
I agree with Mrs. Raphaels that it’s very important to not only ask teachers for letter of recommendations in classes that you like but that you performed well academically in and can attest to what you’re like in the classroom.
Emily • Nov 16, 2015 at 11:24 am
I think, if you ask your teachers and complete the information packet early, the process of asking for teacher recs is the least stressful in the whole college application conundrum. I think teacher recs are a great way, especially if you know the teacher, to provide college admissions with a (hopefully) positive review of the applicant. In fact, I think it is unfortunate that some colleges do not accept rec letters.
Era Atre • Nov 16, 2015 at 11:18 am
This article was very helpful in learning about what goes into recommendations. while i’m only a sophomore i believe its definitely important to start thinking about it. Mrs. Raphaels was my teacher, so that was pretty cool too!
Maya Gupta • Nov 16, 2015 at 11:05 am
I think this article is great advice for many juniors and even sophomores thinking about the application process and the different aspects of it. Its nice to hear a teachers point of view on the whole process and the actions they desire in order to keep both the student and his/herself happy. This article has given some much needed tips for the asking recommendation process.