Who should I ask for letters of recommendation?

Hello Cecila: I agree with the response you've received so far on who to ask for letters of recommendation. I'd like to add to the list as follows:

*Teachers - especially the ones your are making good grades in their class

*Volunteer - if you are involved in any volunteer work you could ask the person that brought you onboard. This could also include someone at your church if you've volunteered

*Employer (Supervisor) - if you have a job you could ask your employer. In my experience with my two young adults I've found that the employers were eager to provide a letter

The list could go on and on. Don't be shy about asking for letters because you'll discover that most of the time the person you're requesting it from is excited to provide it for you. Just give them a deadline on when you need it so they don't miss your timeframe.

FYI, I provided you with the list above on who my young adults asked for letters of recommendations when they were applying to college.

Good Luck to You!

I always questioned who was right or wrong to write a letter of recommendation. Coaches are 100% okay to write one, but I would also look into your teachers! Teachers are excellent resources and if you are a good student, you probably have 1 or 2 teachers you really liked or connected with. I feel teachers write very compelling letters of recommendation. If your Yearbook advisor/teacher could give you a recommendation, that would be your best bet over your coaches.

This is a great question Cecila! As you mentioned a lot of scholarship applications require letters of recommendation, so I think it is important to put a lot of thought into who you ask to write letters for you.

First off, I understand that you may be a little hesitant to ask your coaches to write a letter of recommendation for you. However, based on my experience, if you are confident that your coaches have worked with you enough to know what your strengths and character are, I think your coaches might be great references. Some things you can do to help them to hopefully write stronger recommendation letters are to provide them with sample letters (I found that the following website has a few good examples for you to reference: https://blog.prepscholar.com/4-amazing-recommendation-letter-samples), as well as set up a time to meet with them and discuss a few qualities or experiences that the coaches may highlight in their letters.

Additionally, some other individuals you might be able to ask might are any teachers that you have a good relationship with, or any other school administrator that has spent time getting to know you. As long as there is no specific guidelines on who can write the recommendation letter, there is room here to be creative. However, for whoever you do end up asking, I think it would be smart to provide that individual with sample letters and to have a discussion beforehand to help them think of examples they can use in the recommendation letter.