myau

>One teacher will write one recommendation for you, then make copies

But what about filling the forms which might be different for different colleges (especially those not using Common Application)?

And I'm still interested about senior year teachers - do people typically ask them for recomendations? If so, when is the best time for that?

Also, how colleges look at recomendations from different teachers, depending on the difficulty of their subject? Would the recomendation from AP Calculus teacher "weigh" more than, say, from Chem honors or AP Statistics teachers?

(Yesterday, my D found out that one of the teachers whom she intended to ask for recs is already "full" - doesn't accept any more recomendees - from the first day of school (everybody but my D had been smart enough to ask that teacher last spring)!. And another one - answered "maybe". So, now she has a choice between asking some other teachers from her junior year - some of whom she didn't have quite good "relationship" with last year; or - asking her current senior year teachers ... but right now she feels silly about it, because they don't know her yet, but later it might be too late. what would you suggest to her?)

norms39

when you all say "cover sheets" what exactly do you mean? just like the first page of the rec or whatever? or am i missing something?

kwijiborjt

I had a specific intention with each recommendation i ask for, and i explained it to each teacher. I think a resume is kind of silly bc the teacher should only be writing about experiences they've directly had with you.

Eg: I asked for one rec from a teacher for whom i had been a lab asst, student (x2 years) and worked with extensively in an extracurricular. I assumed she would focus on these things, but when i asked i told her that this was why i was asking her.

2collegewego

Does it raise red flags if the teacher isn't in your proposed major area?

My daughter is interested in majoring in sciences but each and every one of her science teachers has left the school. In her most recent semester, they used a series of subs, finally settling on a long-term sub who isn't even an accredited teacher. We *could* track down that sub and I'm sure she would write her a recommendation, but I think her Eng and AP foreign language lit teachers know her better. Would it raise a red flag to use teachers in Eng and lit instead of science? Should we write a letter explaining?

run4fun

http://counselsmith.wordpress.com/20...commendations/

Matt123234

I have a few questions, that I need answered very soon, I scanned through the thread and didn't see it answered. When the school gets the recommendation, how does it know who I am? One of my RECs will come in before my application. By the way, this isn't a teacher REC, so there is no form for it. Should my coach write my SSN and name on the top or what? Also, cover letters are just for the purpose to inform the writer about what they have to do or whatever, right? Or do I have to make a cover letter that the schools will recieve along with the letter?

J. Shi

driven and who persevere

norms39

what is a cover letter!?

Askmeo88

Okay, this may be a stupid question... but do teachers usually mind if you send the Common App. form to them online?
Mine had already agreed to write me recommendations previously, and I was wondering if it would be a huge violation of etiquette to give them the forms electronically. Thanks.

Ben Golub

To post #54 by Askmeo88 -- It should be ok with most teachers. You can do this and then check in person to make sure it was received and there was no problem.

Ben Golub

1. When you request a recommendation, give the teacher every possible opportunity to hint or say that he or she is not comfortable writing it. A bad recommendation will hurt more than any good one can help, so ask someone else if the teacher shows any hesitation or uncertainty about writing this letter.

Most teachers would prefer writing no letter to writing a bad letter, so offer a simple way out if the teacher is not very enthusiastic about doing this for you. For example, you might say, "I know that this is a busy semester for you, so I understand if you can't do it", or simply, "Please let me know if for any reason you don't feel comfortable writing this letter". Yet another way to assess enthusiasm is to ask whether the teacher would recommend that you apply to the schools you plan on applying to. If doubt is expressed (beyond the normal caution that the process is hard even for the best students) that is a superb signal that you do not want this recommendation.

(I got this advice, almost verbatim, to Susan Athey, an economics professor at Harvard whose advice on applying to economics graduate schools is superb. This particular piece of advice is just as relevant to college admissions or even more so.)


2. Be very careful with gifts. Certainly, it is great to give a token of gratitude to someone who has helped you a great deal, but many teachers would feel uncomfortable with this and it can lead to some very awkward moments. While you are still a student at the school, a handwritten note on a nice card is best. For the teachers who have had a particularly profound effect on you, a gift after you graduate is much more appropriate because it will not raise any conflict of interest questions. Options include good chocolate, a nice bottle of wine (do this after you graduate so you don't get expelled under a zero-tolerance policy), or a nicely framed picture that will be meaningful to your teacher.

When you're applying to things in college (like jobs, graduate schools, and fellowships), the rules are a little different. Since many of your professors may become your colleagues or interact with you in some other way after you graduate (unlike most high school teachers), they are more touchy about gifts and it is safer not to give them to avoid the appearance of any impropriety. A nice thank you card will convey the same gratitude without any awkwardness.

locke

quick question, I'm just a little confused.
SO with the common app, say you have 4 schools on it. You give the rec to your teacher, they fill it out, and then what? can they copy it and put it in the different envelopes for the schools?

serenaxcheelam

i bought some chocolate for my teachers--should i give them it before or after?

whosthat1234

Where do I find the common app cover page?

serenaxcheelam

when i gave the teacher the recs, i just gave her a prepared envelope and the forms partially completed? what is the cover page? should i have included that also?