When it comes to letters of recommendation, we generally recommend that students ask their teachers to write on their behalf before the end of junior year. And while exact requirements will vary by college, we generally recommend students ask teachers who taught them during the student’s junior year. We encourage students to think about the teachers who know them best, who can speak to their academic ability and character, and who they have built strong connections with.
That poses something of a challenge for current juniors. Many, if not most, of the juniors we work with have been learning exclusively online for almost a full year. Our public school students are only now beginning a hybrid model that will see students in the classroom for one week out of every three, and many have chosen to finish the year completely online.
How are students supposed to get to know their teachers—and let their teachers get to know them—when they have never met face-to-face?
Like I said, it’s a challenge. But it’s not impossible, and it’s still a good idea to at least consider junior year teachers before thinking back to teachers from freshman and sophomore year. By junior year, students are engaging in more advanced material and have had more time to mature into soon-to-be college applicants.
With a few months left in the school year—and with some students transitioning back into the classroom—there’s still plenty of time to work on cultivating strong connections with teachers. Here are my top 3 tips for building better relationships with teachers during virtual and hybrid learning.
FULLY ENGAGE IN CLASS
This seems obvious, right? Participating in class, asking questions, and turning in completed work on time may seem like no-brainers during a normal school year, and they should be this year as well.
Many teachers are being very flexible this year. Some are relaxing their policy around late work, allowing students to leave their cameras off, or even letting students choose not to show up for every class meeting. It’s easy to take advantage of such flexibility and even keep grades up while doing it, but this is not the way to build a relationship or leave a good impression with teachers.
Students should:
Attend all class sessions, even if they don’t have to.
Do their best to have the cameras on (and not pointed at the ceiling) and be ready to focus during class.
Turn in their best work by the due date.
Participate in class discussions.
A note on that last one. A lot of students tell me that few students participate in online class discussions. Some have even told me that they feel bad for their teacher because no one responds when they ask a question. I get it. It can feel awkward. But just think of how awkward it probably is for your teacher and how relieved they will be to have someone willing to break the silence.
ENGAGE OUT OF CLASS
Students who are doing at least some of their learning in person have a leg up here, but if you are completely in virtual learning, chances are at least some of your teachers are offering additional time out of class for students to ask questions or review material. This mimics college where professors have “office hours.” Teachers are also available by email in perhaps a new way for extra support.
There’s a good chance that many students are not taking advantage of these out-of-class opportunities, and teachers are sitting on Google Classroom just waiting for students to show up. Not only will showing up to online office hours or a test review session let students and teachers have conversations in a less formal setting, but it also shows a student’s initiative and the extra time spent on schoolwork can lead to higher grades.
SPEND YOUR TIME WISELY
The number of required or optional letters of recommendation a college will accept varies from school to school, but on average, most students will need 1-3 recommendations coming from teachers. At the end of the day, a student isn’t going to need a letter of recommendation from every teacher they’ve ever had or even every teacher in junior year.
It’s a good idea for juniors to think about the classes they’ve taken this year and ask:
Who are my favorite teachers?
What classes am I enjoying the most?
What are the classes where I could use some extra support from my teacher?
Do any of the classes I’m taking relate to what I might want to study in college?
The answers to these questions can help students decide where to spend their time and energy - because building any relationship requires both!