Calling all seniors, it is officially letter of recommendation season. Time is ticking, and graduation is right around the corner. Meaning, students are starting to ask their teachers and guidance counselors about recommendation letters for college. Not all colleges and universities require every incoming freshman to provide letters from former teachers or counselors, but it is certainly a nice addition to a college application.

  One might be wondering, ¨Where do I start?¨ or, ¨How do I find someone to write a recommendation letter for me?¨ A good place to start is a teacher a student has had a good relationship with.

  ¨Find a teacher that you connected and participated with a lot in class,¨ said Ms. Amy O´Connor, English teacher.

  However, it is not a standard rule that students have to get a recommendation letter from a teacher.

  ¨Search out someone who knows you, and it doesn't always have to be a teacher. There are other administrators at Freedom and throughout the district,¨ said Mrs. Karla Erdman, English teacher.

  It is very important that students choose a teacher or counselor who they connect with. If a student participated often in that class, and you made it a point to try and build a better academic and personal relationship with that teacher, then the more bragging that teacher can do.

  ¨The better your relationship, the more great things they can say about you,¨ said O'Connor.

  At the last minute, students tend to go straight for the English teachers because they ¨write better.¨ However, students may not know that if a teacher does not know a student, has never had them in class, or has no relationship with them at all, than that student will probably get a ¨No¨ as their answer.

  Lastly, most teachers stop writing letters of recommendation after a certain date, so it is crucial that students take the initiative to ask early on, so the teachers have time in advance to plan out what they will say in that letter.

  Not all teachers are willing to write a recommendation letter for someone who is not serious about it ahead of time.
  ¨Any student who wants a recommendation should get it early,¨ said Erdman.

  It is always important when finding a teacher to write a recommendation letter to search out a teacher whom one has maintained a good relationship throughout high school.