--Use teachers who know you the best and seem to appreciate best what you have to offer.

 --Choose a teacher who can write about the academic area you care most about and have the strongest talent in.

 --Save papers and projects, particularly during your junior year, and return the best to teachers so they can refer to them in their recommendation letters.

 --You should give teachers plenty of notice that you may be using them for teacher recommendations, preferably prior to the end of junior year.  

 --For Early Action/Early Decision applications, you must complete the Faculty & Staff Recommendation Request form and give it to your teachers no later than October 3, 2006.  For all other applications, you must complete and turn in this form to your teachers no later than October 16, 2006.  

 --You should only ask one or two teachers (depending on what the colleges require) to write recommendation letters.  Teachers generally write one letter which is sent to all the colleges to which the student applies.  Unless specific subject areas are required by a college, it is abusive to have different teachers write recommendation letters for different colleges.

 --You must always provide the appropriate forms (with the student areas completely filled out!) and addressed stamped envelopes for teachers.  You should thank the teacher in advance for taking the time and energy to write the recommendation and offer to provide any further information the writer may need.

 --You need to check, tactfully, near the deadline whether the teacher recommendations have been sent.  If the answer is no, you may, a day before the deadline, remind the teacher of the deadline.

 --Once you have received an admission decision from the college, you should write a thank-you note to the teacher informing them of the decision and thanking them again for their time and energy.  Teachers want to be able to congratulate you on your success!