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Ask a teacher for a recommendation with a short brag sheet

  • For High school students
  • You practice Giving the right context
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

You need a recommendation letter from your chemistry teacher for a summer research program. Get an email under 130 words, plain text: a short ask with the corrected deadline and the submission link, then exactly 3 bullets starting with "- " listing things she saw you do in her class. Leave out the activities she never saw, and sign it "Thank you, Aiden Cole".

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Missing the extension. The AI may use March 1, the first date it sees. Try: Add: "The deadline is March 15 (extended)."
  • Listing everything you've done. The AI includes Quiz Bowl and volunteering, but a teacher can only vouch for what she saw. Try: Add: "Only list things Ms. Haddad saw in chemistry class."
  • Not saying the shape. The AI writes a long email with a big list or none at all. Try: Be exact: "A 3-sentence ask, then exactly 3 bullets starting with '- '."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over. Try: Cap each part: "each sentence and bullet under 16 words."
  • Leaving the sign-off open. The AI ends with 'Sincerely, [Your Name]' or a placeholder. Try: Add: "End with exactly: Thank you, Aiden Cole"
  • Forgetting where it's going. AI adds bold and headings that show up as stray symbols in a school email. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Uses the new deadline
  • Lists only what she saw
  • Says how many bullets
  • Gives the sign-off
  • Sets a length limit

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