Pre-College Tips: How To Get a Letter of Recommendation

So, you're applying to college. Congratulations! You have made a big step toward the advancement of your education and security of your future. You've made a wise decision.

When applying to college, there are several important components of your application: high school transcript, SAT Scores, essays, application form and references / recommendation letters. Some colleges also require an interview, but that step usually comes after the initial application.

The only part of the application in which an applicant must depend on someone else to complete is the references / recommendation letters section. There are many things that you must do to ensure a smooth application process without any stress on you or the person you ask for a recommendation letter. Worrying about whether or not you're going to get your application completed on time is not something that you want to deal with when applying for college.

First and foremost, find out the application deadline of all of the schools that you are going to apply to. If you're going to apply Early Decision or Early Action, the deadlines are going to be much sooner than applications due for Regular Decision. The latest you want to send your application packet in is two weeks before the deadline. That way, you can ensure that your application is going to be read and reviewed.

Secondly, decide who you are going to ask to write your recommendation letters for you! There are three different people that you should ask for a recommendation letter. Letters from these three people will make for a well-rounded application that would grab the attention (and most likely impress) of any admissions counselor.