One subject we’re considering for our upcoming counselor training program is the art of writing letters of recommendation for counselors and teachers: how the letters are used in admissions, how you can craft even more effective pieces, and, especially for counselors, how you can actually manage the job if you have a large caseload. We’re excited about the idea, but we couldn’t ignore one key factor—the student must give the recommender a story to tell.

Even the most dedicated counselor or teacher will struggle to compose a strong letter for a student who hasn’t performed, who hasn’t been engaged, who hasn’t shown through actions that he or she will be a contributing addition to a college classroom. So for those who will be requesting recs and those who will be writing them, here are two past posts to help you help each other.

The first is for teachers, outlining some key points you can share with your classes before they request letters. My hope is that this will make their responsibility clearer now, and your job easier later this fall.

For students, particularly juniors, here’s one to help you make sure you’re giving your teachers stories worth writing about.

If you’re a counselor or a teacher who would like to be kept informed of our plans to offer training on this and other topics later this year, you can sign up here (we promise not to do anything with your email address that will annoy you).