Your scholarship application is due in ten days. It must have three recommendation letters attached, and, so far, you have not gotten any back from your teachers. A note to each of them last week hasn’t gotten any results. Talk
about strained nerves. All the work to get the application ready, and now letters are halting the process.

This is a scenario that repeats itself hundreds and thousands of times each year. You can avoid this problem by taking important appropriate actions. Start by asking for your recommendation letters at least six weeks in advance. This allows busy teachers to take their time in writing great responses. After two weeks remind them with a note in their mailboxes. Seven days after that make a visit to their classroom. Remind them in person that your application could be late and disqualified and that you will come by in a few days to pick it up. Thank him or
her again and then stop by once more.

One way to avoid total mayhem is to ask for more letters than is really needed (awards may vary in the number of letters needed).If the requirement is two for an award, ask four people.

If you are applying for more than a couple of scholarship awards (and you really should be), ask the teacher or whoever, if they would be willing to put their comments on a CD.

Remind them that you will be sending out dozens of applications. It will save them time. Then, you will bring the letters by for their signatures. They can inspect the documents before you send them in. A hand-written signature is always best.

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