Lets talk letters of recommendation

Times3
Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:18:44 +0000

I just checked with our college counseling office at school and Glassharmonica is correct–Naviance doesn’t let you customize the recommendations, so our counseling office will have to do that by hand. They were glad to get the heads-up early, by the way. I also just reminded my son that he’ll have to ask for his recommenders to turn in their letters early and for the counseling office to send everything out as soon as possible (as though he were applying ED) so that he can schedule auditions. Thanks to ActingDad for getting this thread started, as it prompted me to get moving myself! One of the questions in the original post had to do with whether recommendations really matter in this process. Lots of good answers have already been posted, but I just wanted to add that for schools whether the “normal” admissions office has as much say as the acting program, the recommendation can matter a lot, especially at a smaller or more individualized school. We often hear back from colleges that our teacher recommendations were a deciding factor for a borderline kid. But again, that depends on the size and nature of the college and its admissions process. If in doubt, find somebody who you know is a good writer, who will send the letter on time, and who can support your child with detailed examples, not just vague praise!