If you’re a senior who’s reading this, congratulations. It means that you’ve survived the first round of early college apps.

Given our thankfulness for our survival, it’s important to acknowledge the people who risked their own sleep and sanity in order to help us reach that dreaded November 1st deadline.

Teachers who write letters of recommendation for college apps are modern-day heroes. Despite being asked by far too many students far too close to the deadline, they are gracious in agreeing to write about why we’re not totally incompetent students.

Without these letters, colleges would be forced to rely on purely our numbers and essays in order to determine that we’re prepared for college and won’t end up dropping out after the first quarter.

When I asked my two teachers for letters of rec at the beginning of the year, there was no hesitation or reluctant sigh before they accepted, and they expressed genuine interest in where I would be applying to.

It’s a job they’re not obligated to do, but they are still willing to despite the many extra hours of work it adds in on an already busy start of the year. It’s important to respect the time they take out of their day to help us get to college, and thank them properly for the favor they do for us.