I left high school due to family circumstances and received a GED earlier this year. I’ve encountered a number of difficulties trying to use the common app, such as listing grades, counselors, etc. but have solved every issue except for one. I need 2 teacher recommendations to apply to most schools on my list, but I don’t have any teachers because I’m not in high school. In my experience contacting schools, they’re usually OK with me submitting recommendations from, say, a colleague, but the Common App is very rigid, and I can’t submit my application if I don’t list 2 teachers.
I’m wondering if there’s a solution to this issue – I know that I can’t be the only one applying to college with a GED using the common app. I’d also like to know if simply listing a colleague or peer as a teacher would be considered academic dishonesty. My perspective is that when admissions staff review thousands of applications, they don’t mind when someone is a little different, but a negative consequence of the rise in popularity of the common app is that all students need to be identical.