<p>My son and I are a little confused re: teacher's recommendations. His school seems to have a system where kids ask their teachers and the teachers write a generic recommendation that they keep on their word processor and then adapt as needed. I get the impression, they most times will disregard the actual questions and form that the college uses and send in their recommendation as a letter attached to the form. Some schools (Rice, for example) seems to encourage the teacher filling their form out. Son is not sure how to approach the teachers and what to ask them to do. If he's applying at 10 schools and a couple want some extra attention on their recommendations, should he comm this to the teacher or his guidance counselor? He's not going to see the recs, so he won't really know what they've done. Also, his apps are not totally complete at this point - can the recs go in to the colleges even though his file is not complete? Is it better to have teachers send them themselves or run through the guidance department? Son is very good student and all that. At least two teachers have approached him and offerred to write recs, but for some reason this particular phase of the whole application process is baffling him and me. Sorry about all the questions. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Our experience: Many (most?) colleges have a Teacher Rec form of one kind or another. So does the Common App. My S' excellent PHS has its own Teacher Rec form, which is what it uses. It mirrors the most common elements of the various forms each school might have (including the check-off qx such as "one of the few best students I have seen/good student/fair student etc. etc.". The school GC receives the teacher recs (rom the teachers each student has individually requested) and packages them with the school profile and transcript as one package.</p>
<p>This worked fine and our school sends kids every year to a full range of schools from the very most selective on down (several each year to HYPSM,AWS etc.). Your school's system sounds very similar and very workable to me.</p>
<p>If your school doesn't have its own "form" such as our school uses, I suggest he ask the GC whether to provide each teacher the common app version for re-use with each school, or to provide the specific Rice etc. version to each teacher (in other words in this case, the teacher would have to fill out a few different forms for your kid, but they are all pretty similar from what I have seen). It's fine, I'm sure, for the teacher to attach the meat of the recommendation to the form rather than re-type it onto the exact form.</p>
<p>If your school is set up to do it, I think having the recs go in through GC is good - the fewer separate mailings the college receives, the less chance for lost items. Our hs includes a return post card to be sure their package has been received at each school. </p>
<p>It's fine if some things arrive before others - just make sure every submission, whether from GC, your S or tests results etc. have his name, birthdate and SSN on each page. This is how most schools collate things if something gets separated.</p>
<p>cantg: First, I would have him definitely accept the 2 teachers who offered to write the recommendations. If they offered, then you know they (probably) won't be generic letters. I believe when my daughter was applying last year, she gave teachers (the ones who knew her best) the forms from the schools, along with a stamped envelope. Her teachers completed the form, I believe, but obviously included a letter as well. And I think one or two may have been sent in separately--not sure--but most just gave her the letter back in a sealed envelope, signed across the back flap. She gave her teachers all this early on, so they had plenty of time, but--as I said--most handed it all back to her, sealed, so she could include everything in her application packets. And as I remember, her schools required a letter from the guidance counsellor, as well as from teachers. I know the guidance counsellor sent in her material separately, though. Not sure I answered your questions here. Does that help?</p>
<p>Yes, it helps. Both replies, though different, let me know there is not just one approach.</p>
<p>There are a dozen different ways to do this. No one knows, but i don't think colleges penalize students if the teacher's recs don't use the forms. Our school runs everything through the CC's office, and they use Common App for all schools that accept it. In return, the office bugs the teachers to get the recs written, packages the apps, mails, and tracks to be sure all material is received by the colleges - it is a great system, and they have had good admission results - including admission to Rice (I don't think anyone checked Rice's boxes)</p>
<p>You can use the Common App teacher rec forms for Rice. DD did- and is now attending and loving it there as a soph.</p>
<p>I've contacted a few colleges about this. All I've contacted have said it wasn't necessary to use their form. Recognize, however, that my small sample may not be representative of all colleges. Best bet? Call/e-mail the college admissions office and ask.</p>
<p>Colleges don't penalize teachers for not using the form. Colleges know that teachers are extremely busy, particularly at public schools. The letters that teachers write also can provide even more useful informtation than the teachers may give who use the forms colleges (and scholarship committees) provide. I am aware of this because I have been on national scholarship committees.</p>
<p>Ellen, do you know if Vassar accepts the common app teacher rec?</p>
<p>No, I don't know about Vassar. You may want to contact their admissions office. Talking with admissions offices can be enlightening. Some give all sorts of information beyond answers to questions you ask. Much of that information is very helpful in the admissions process.</p>
<p>In most public schools where teachers have to write lots of letters, they don't use school-specific forms, and just attach their letter to the college form. As far as I know, students are not penalized for it in any way.</p>