College applications are made up of many components. In addition to the actual application form, you have to submit an essay, a transcript and standardized test scores. You'll also need to get two academic recommendations from your teachers.
In theory, the recommendation is the easiest part of the admissions process. All you have to do is give the forms to the teachers, who will submit the recommendation directly to the college. The hard part is knowing which teachers to ask.
Popular teachers have to write dozens of recommendation letters each year. Many copy and paste whole paragraphs so all of the recommendations sound the same. Ideally, you would want to find a teacher who knows you well and can write a truly personal recommendation that will stand out from the crowd. The admissions officers read hundreds of letters that say, “Jane is a good student”. After a while, they all blend together. An enthusiastic, personal recommendation is worth much more than a cookie-cutter one.
The process of getting a good recommendation begins long before you start applying to colleges. Get to know your teachers, and make sure they know you. Teachers see so many faces each day that it's difficult for them to remember personal information about each individual student. Talk to your teachers after class. Tell them about your ambitions. Don't ask for a recommendation unless that teacher knows who you are and what you want to study. A good recommendation mentions how passionate you are about your chosen subject. It doesn't have to be that teacher's subject, as long as the teacher knows you're keen on it and good at it.
A good recommendation doesn't take much effort on your part, but it can mean the difference between admission and rejection.