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Who Should Follow This Page? |
Letters of
Recommendation
Ask Adults to Complete Recommendation Forms
on Your Behalf
Request Teacher/Counselor Recommendation
Forms (or Letters of Recommendation) in the first week in October – DON’T DELAY
IN MAKING REQUESTS. Your teachers, counselors, coaches, employers,
and community leaders receive numerous requests for recommendations and
with their busy schedules, they have limited time. So don’t
wait until the last minute to ask.
Requests include both recommendations
for college admission as well as for scholarships. Typically, it takes adult recommenders 2-to-3
weeks to complete requests, so again, submit your requests early.
For each college (and scholarship)
application that requires a Teacher/Counselor Recommendation Form or
Letter of Recommendation, ask
teachers, counselors, coaches, employers, or community members that
know your excellent work and know you as a good student and person. If
an adult doesn’t really know you or your achievements they will
not be able to write an outstanding, personal recommendation.
For each college you’re applying to, go to their
website (or Common
Application or Universal
Application websites) to print required Teacher Recommendation Forms
and Counselor Recommendation Forms (these should already be printed and
filed in you paper
filing system. Teachers and counselors must fill out these
forms by hand; complete the upper portion of the forms with your name,
address, and signature and give ALL recommendation forms to your adult
recommenders at once. Also, provide a cover
letter with instructions.
For colleges using the Common
Application, students first need to ask their teachers and counselor which method they are using to submit admission application recommendations (either (1) the Common Application online system or (2) the Common Application paper recommendation forms). After asking each teacher and counselor, students need to either (1) complete the set-up process so teachers and counselors can submit their recommendations online through the Common Application website or (2), print copies of paper recommendation forms from the Common Application website for recommenders to complete and mail to each college.
TO USE THE COMMON APPLICATION
ONLINE SYSTEM, students MUST first "invite" teachers and counselors through the Common Application website so recommenders can be notified on how and when to submit student recommendations.
Before starting the process, be sure you have:
- Your high school's CEEB number and street address,
- Your counselors e-mail address and high school phone number.
- Each teacher's e-mail address
WHAT TO DO:
NOTE: If your high school uses the Naviance system, see your counselor for assistance on how to submit recommendation forms.
1. If your high school does not
use the Naviance system, follow the instructions below (this will apply to most students):
2. Register with the Common
Application.
- Click on "Never Registered? Go here" at the bottom page center.
- Fill in your name, address, e-mail address, etc.
- Create a user name and password (write down your user name and password!).
- Click the "Register" button on the page bottom.
3. Next, click the "Search for Colleges" button in the list on the left side of the page.
4. Select your colleges, one at time.
- Check the "Select" box
- Click the "Add" button.
5. To add additional colleges, click the "Search" button and select a college.
Check the "Select" box and click the "Add" button for each additional college.
6. After all your colleges have been added, click on the "Academics" button in
the list on the left side of the page.
7. Complete this page by entering all the information about your high school
and counselor (including counselor e-mail address) and the courses you are
taking the first semester (fall 2009) and second semester (spring 2010). Click
the "Save" button on the page bottom.
8. Next, click the "School Forms" button in the list on the left side of the page.
9. If the next page indicates your high school uses the Naviance system, contact your high school counselor for instructions (this will NOT be the case for the majority of students). If your high school does not use the Naviance system, click the "Invite" button.
10. Fill in the information about your high school counselor.
- Click the "Counselor" bubble.
- Click the "Yes" bubble in the "FERPA Waiver" Box.
- Check the "I authorize . . ." square in the "Release Authorization" Box.
- Click the "Save" button at the page bottom.
11. Click the "Invite" button again (located under the counselor's name).
12. Fill in the information about one of your high school teacher recommenders.
- Click the "Teacher" bubble
- Select a subject in the pull-down window in the "Subject Area" box.
- Click the "Yes" bubble in the "FERPA Waiver" Box.
- Check the "I authorize . . ." square in the "Release Authorization" Box.
- Click the "Save" button on the page bottom.
13. Repeat 11. and 12. above to add additional teachers.
14. Next, on the same "School Forms" page, click on one of your selected
colleges shown near the page top.
15. In the "Teacher" box near the page bottom, click the "select" pull-down window to choose the teacher you wish to submit a recommendation on your behalf to this college.
- Click the "Save" button on the page bottom.
16. Repeat 14. and 15. for each of your colleges.
17. Your counselor and teachers will be contacted by e-mail from the Common Application website to complete and submit your recommendation forms online.
Be sure to check with your recommenders 2 to 3 weeks after you request letters of recommendations to make sure all recommendations have been submitted.
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TO PRINT COPIES OF THE COMMON
APPLICATION RECOMMENDATION FORMS, go to the Common
Application download forms page and click on "PDF" or "Word" next
to "Teacher Evaluation Only" and "Secondary School Report Only" links
in the page center. Teachers and counselors must fill out these forms
by hand; complete the upper portion of the forms with your name, address,
and signature and give ALL recommendation forms to your adult recommenders
at once. Also, provide a cover letter with instructions.
Quick Links to Common Application Forms:
» Teacher Evaluation Only: PDF | Word
» Secondary School Report Only: PDF | Word
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TO PRINT COPIES OF THE UNIVERSAL
COLLEGE APPLICATION RECOMMENDATION FORMS, go to the Universal Application download forms
page for teacher
recommendation forms and for counselor
recommendation forms.
Quick Links to Universal Application Forms:
» Teacher Recommendation: PDF
» Counselor Recommendation: PDF
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