Building Strong Recommendation Relationships Before You Need Them

The quality of your recommendations can make or break your college application. This is why smart kids start building relationships with their professors as soon as 9th grade. Already in junior spring, you should have a list of professors whom you should ask for assistance.

While seeking recommendations, many students forget the human side of things. In other words, you must act appropriately toward your professors while still showing your character. Professors will also take note of how you’re treating others, as they might not be willing to endorse someone who they perceive as a bad person.

8 Ways to Build Strong Recommendation Relationships

In the following section, we’ll share some tricks that will help you build great relationships with your professors. Most of these are quite intuitive and can be applied to other relationships in your life:

1. Take Your Time

In most cases, we build relationships by spending time with a group of people. As time goes by, we naturally start gravitating toward one or two individuals who are most similar to us. Although asking your professors questions during classes can strengthen your relationship, what you do afterward is much more important.

Take your time to say hi in the hallways and interact with them after classes. If the professor specializes in an area of science that will become your major in college, you should ask them to participate in projects related to that science. That way, you’ll not only have time to spend some extra time together, but you’ll be able to hone your skills.

2. Talk About Relevant Things

It is really hard to find the right balance when choosing the topics you should discuss with your professors. Although it is ok to ask some personal questions, be careful not to stray into subjects that can be too touchy. For example, politics and religion are usually off the table as they can lead to uncomfortable talks. And if you do open these discussions, let them do most of the talking.

Ideally, you should stick to the scientific topics. Among others, this is an excellent opportunity to enhance your knowledge and talk about advanced concepts that you might not be covering in classes. You can also mention that you’re planning to finish the same major as they did, which the professor will likely remember when it comes time to ask for a recommendation letter.

3. Work Together

Perhaps the best way to build an interpersonal rapport is to work together on projects. School competitions, such as STEM and business and finance competitions, give you a chance to show your interest in their science. If you achieve a good result, it will set the basis for future recommendations, as it will be hard to reject someone who scored highly in local competitions.

4. Follow Through

No matter the person or relationship, you must always follow through on your promises. Whether we’re talking about homework, joint projects, or competitions, it is vital that your professors consider you disciplined and committed.

If there are situations that can be interpreted in different ways, you must come clean with your professor. For example, your professor might misinterpret your intention, so it’s much better to explain yourself in these situations. Otherwise, it might seem as if you can’t be trusted.

5. Look for Feedback

One of the simplest, most straightforward ways to build a relationship with your professors, but also peers, is by seeking advice and feedback. Although you shouldn’t be too annoying, asking all sorts of nonsensical questions, there are situations where your inquiry might seem relevant.

For example, it is totally fine to ask questions about things outside the curriculum. Not only will this give you a chance to engage with your professors, but it also shows your interest in complex topics and concepts. Feedback is especially important when there is no conclusive evidence or when there are conflicting theories regarding a phenomenon.

6. Challenge When Warranted

Many students make the mistake of continuously challenging their professors. In most cases, this can be considered an act of disobedience or simply a lack of house manners. However, this isn’t true in all situations. There are cases where challenging professors or current science is not only warranted, but welcomed.

You can ask professors about theories and postulates that don’t make sense, or ask why you’re learning stuff that has meanwhile become obsolete. Most importantly, you shouldn’t necessarily challenge their opinions, as you don’t want to butt heads. Although this can be tricky in practice, you should support open discussion but not necessarily unnecessary conflict.

7. Take Accountability

One of the best signs of maturity is taking accountability for your own actions. Many high school students don’t do this, which is why these actions are appreciated by the professors. You can always own up to your own mistakes, such as not working hard enough prior to an exam or not finishing homework.

Students generally perceive accountability as a sign of weakness, but it’s anything but. Your professor will appreciate you for being honest and responsible, which will likely help you when asking for a recommendation in the future.

8. Resolve Conflicts

Traditionally, students shouldn’t have any type of negative conflicts with their professors, nor should they challenge them. The reality is that this dynamic has changed a lot in the last few years, with two sides openly discussing all sorts of matters.

In this kind of environment, it is common to have a difference of opinion or even to disrespect your professor. However, when that happens, you must apologize as soon as you realize your mistake. This might be the hardest thing of all, as most students are unwilling to admit they’re wrong.

Conclusion

Mastering communication and conflict resolution is vital for building solid relationships with your professors. This can later serve as a basis when you start acquiring recommendations. For all other issues regarding the admissions process, you should hire a professional college admissions consulting agency.