Build a Paper Trail

Colleges want evidence of accomplishment. Students academic and behavioral efforts will be documented in their report cards and in any standardized tests they take. But having certificates presented in response for success achieved and letters of recommendations from teachers, coaches, and employers are invaluable. As students live their lives, they should look for opportunities to build the biggest paper trail possible.

Even better, students should try to be more targeted.

If a student is working in a child-care center after school and he or she wants to be a kindergarten teacher, a request for a letter of recommendation from the head of the center would be appropriate and a boon to that student’s future. In hat situation, it would be appropriate for the student to ask the letter to emphasize the great relationships he or she established with the members of the four-year-old class and/or parents as customers. If a student is working in the center but doesn’t want to be a kindergarten teacher, the head of the center can write a letter praising his or her on-time attendance and willingness to do anything the early childhood teachers asked.

Students should never miss a chance to build a case in support of their future goals, even if those goals change dramatically over the years.