Writing a college recommendation letter can be one of the most meaningful things you get to do as a teacher. But it can also be daunting.

In this article, we’ll break down how to write a powerful letter for students, efficiently and effectively. We’ll address the dreaded (and common) “I don’t really remember this kid” conundrum. And we’ll even talk about how you can – and arguably sometimes should – say no to writing a letter, and how to do it without causing excess hurt feelings.

Writing a strong letter of recommendation can be done quickly and well. 

#1. Keep your recommendation to one page or less.

A great letter of recommendation only needs to check a few boxes. Though each is important, they shouldn’t take up too much space (or too much time!):

1. Explain how you know the student. 
2. Tell the college about 1-3 of the student’s strongest traits, as you’ve seen them exhibited in the classroom and school setting. 
3. End with an enthusiastic endorsement — this kid has what it takes to succeed!

That’s it. 

So even for that 1-in-a-million, fabulous student you want to really, really champion, your letter doesn’t have to be long to do its job of showing off how great they are. 

In fact, a long letter can dilute its power. Colleges are looking for “spiky” students that have a few key strengths that will contribute to the diversity of their well-rounded student population. 

And never forget the overworked admission officer, glancing over these letters for the gist of what matters. (That’s how they do it, realistically.) Pack a strong punch, not a long one.

#2. Come up with content by brainstorming your students’ strongest attributes.

At Prompt, we don’t believe in the agony of the blank page. That’s all the more true here where you’re doing a favor. In fact, this is a favor that you want to be able to give generously to all the students who you can support in this way. You can’t do that if each letter takes hours to write.

There’s a better way!

Start with a good old-fashioned brainstorm. Write down all the examples of the student’s work that come to mind, and also brainstorm all the positive attributes you’d ascribe to them — you can then ask yourself to give an example that shows that attribute later.

Once you have this list, you’ll easily be able to mold it into a strong letter. Remember, that’s just:

• 1-3 positive attributes you want to name. (Even 1 attribute is great!)
• For each attribute, 1-2 sentences of supporting evidence with concrete examples of instances where the student exhibited these traits.‍

Simple, but effective.

#3. If you feel comfortable, ask your student to help you brainstorm.

For some teachers, remembering the student is the biggest challenge in writing good recommendations. It’s okay to ask your student to provide a recommendation outline. 

Simply ask the student to write three or so of their strongest qualities with an example or two illustrating each. Emphasize that this should not take too much of their time — a rough outline is fine. You can then use this to trigger your own memory and to come up with better content faster than you might have done otherwise. 

#4. Follow this structure for a great letter of recommendation.

If you need a template, here’s one that works well:

• Intro: “I’m writing in support of [student’s name]’s application.” Briefly explain your relationship to the student and the context in which you have had the opportunity to examine his or her character. List 1-3 positive traits here.
• Body: For each of the positive traits, introduce that trait, and add 1-2 sentences of supporting evidence that includes concrete and specific examples of when the student exhibited the positive trait. Round it out with a sentence or two on how the trait should lead to success in college and perhaps in their career. 
• Note: One body paragraph is fine, so long as it is strong. Up to three is fine, too. 
• Conclusion: Briefly summarize how you think this student has traits that will lead them to succeed in college and beyond. End by reiterating your support of their application. 

It’s not paint-by-numbers, of course, but it isn’t rocket science either! We hope this helps keep things efficient and powerful. 

#5. Don’t be vague — reread your letter and circle “vague” phrases. 

Let’s face it. It’s easy to be vague, and hard to be concrete and specific. It is very, very natural for your first draft to have some vague descriptors. Tell-tale words and phrases include “always” and “good at.” 

After you’ve written a draft, read it over for vagueness, circling places that look a little limp. Then come back for a second pass, in which you strive to come up with better examples of what you’re trying to describe. Generally, we find that time does a lot of work, and you can think of better examples easily, having let your subconscious do some of the heavy lifting. 

‍This is a great method for writing a powerful letter without wasting too much time. Read it one last time to catch any lingering instances of vagueness, then (once you’ve proofread, obviously) call it a day!

#6. Don’t write a letter on behalf of a student you don’t want to endorse (sometimes) 

These things are tricky. In the real world, it’s not always possible to say no to a student you don’t want to endorse. For example, students can be desperate, perhaps up against a deadline, or, often, you might be the student’s only real option. In those cases, of course, the most ethical thing to do is to do your best for the student, following the guidance in the rest of this article — even if the letter is more generic or unenthusiastic than you’d ideally want. 

But there are two reasons why saying no to a student is sometimes best:

1. Your letter may end up doing that student a disservice - no matter how good your intentions. Unless there’s no other way, the student deserves to know that if you write the letter it won’t be the boost they’re hoping for. 
2. Writing a poor letter can also reflect badly on you. Colleges and professionals at your high school may learn that you let a high schooler down by saying yes when you should have said no.

Saying no can be hard, but it’s sometimes right. Here’s how to do it in a way that doesn’t cause undue hurt:

• Tell the student you’re flattered they asked you (assuming that’s true), that you’ve enjoyed having them in your class (assuming that’s true), and that you’re excited to see them applying to colleges (hopefully, that’s one we can assume is true).
• Tell them you don’t think you’re the best positioned to write this letter. Say that you don’t have enough specific examples that will sing their praises the way they deserve. 
• Say this is a normal thing that happens sometimes. (It is.) 
• Optionally, say you’d love to brainstorm with them who might be a better recommender. If that doesn’t feel like a good role for you, instead, refer the student to the guidance counselor to help with this step. 
• Finally, you can end things on a positive note by reiterating that you appreciated being chosen by them for this and (again, assuming this is true) that you’ve been impressed by their maturity in understanding your need to say no and their determination to find a recommender who will be a better fit.

As we hope this shows, there are some occasions where it is doable to say no in a way that’s respectful, helpful, and shouldn’t cause undue hurt feelings. (In fact, it could well be an overall positive interaction.)

So follow our quick 6 steps to brainstorm and write a great letter of recommendation for your students applying to undergraduate college admissions. Read more of our articles below to stay in-the-know on college admissions.