Choose someone that knows you well.
Choose a variety of people that know you both inside and outside of school.
Reach out well in advance to give your recommender a chance to write a great letter of recommendation. Let them know how the recommendation should be sent.
Complete a brag sheet to give to your recommender to help them with writing your letter of recommendation.
If you are an HD student, complete this Virtual Brag Sheet template, otherwise, use the paper template here or the questions below.
1. List the activities you have participated in at school.
2. Which school and what community activity had the greatest impact on you? Why?
3. What do you consider your most important activities outside of school or in the community? Explain why these activities are significant to you.
4. Describe situations where you have been a leader.
5. Describe the academic accomplishment (major paper, science experiment, artistic project) you are most proud of, and tell why you take pride in it.
6. What kind of learner are you? Which academic setting or assignments make you thrive? What interests you?
7. What would your favorite teacher say is an area that is difficulty for you (examples: has trouble getting started, not always consistent)?
8. What would your friends say are your three best qualities (examples: a good listener, funny, reliable)? Why?
9. What do you hope to accomplish in college and after? Consider your career goals and broader goals.
10. What colleges/universities/programs/scholarships are you thinking about applying to? Why do those appeal to you?
11. Tell me about a past internship or work experience that you have had. What did you learn? What type of work did you do? What skills did you master?
Note: Feel free to add all other pertinent information that you feel will be helpful, such as travel experiences, unusual personal and/or family circumstances, poor attendance record, below average performance, etc. Also, you can elaborate more about yourself on a separate sheet of paper.