Autobiography

Many of you will ask me to write a letter of recommendation for college or scholarships next year. I will try to do a good job for you. But you need to do several things.

1. Plan ahead!! Talk with your counselor about the application process before you talk to me. Talk to me a month before the deadline.**

2. Give me some data so I can remember all your fine qualities and write a specific letter that will help you. I need a page (typed, single-spaced) of information about you. Please include the following:

· What was your top academic achievement in this class? What makes you stand out from all the other competent AP students? Perhaps it was a particular essay you wrote, your strong participation in a certain class activity, the fact that you frequently asked insightful questions about the readings, or your terrific bio board. Give me some specific details that I can cite so the admissions committee will see your brilliance. For example, if you wrote a particularly strong DBQ, what was your thesis? If your bio board was your stellar accomplishment, who was the subject and what made yours stand out from the rest? General comments about how you were a hard worker or that you turned all your work in on time will not lead to a good letter.

· If your final project did not involve a class presentation, please give me a description of what you did.

· What extracurricular activities are you involved in that I might mention? While this won’t be the focus of my letter, I’d like to present a picture of a well-rounded individual.

· How would you describe your personality and character? What is there about your personality and character that makes you a good addition to the classroom? How would a friend describe you? Think about the traits you have that would be impressive to the admissions committee.

· Be sure your name is in your autobiography.

· Include your e-mail address in your autobiography so that I can contact you if I have questions while I’m working on your letter.

· Please email this to me as a Word attachment. Label the attachment “last name, first name.” E.g., “Bielendorfer, Wally”

**Note: You could try bribery.