Common Application-Teacher Recs

<li>Are teachers allowed to attach extra letters to the 2 page recommendation form? I hope so.</li>
<li>Are you allowed to use non-teachers (professors you’ve had classes with, science mentors, etc)? Is using a regular math prof that thinks I’m pretty cool and a Harvard professor who mentored my work this summer necessarily better than using a regular teacher?</li>
<li>The CommonApp says to send 2 recs, but can you send more? I went to RSI this past summer, and they say they give you three letters to send to colleges. What would this count as? I dont’ think they mean they fill out the recommendation forms, they just give you a letter. Could I have a similiar letter from my mentor also, without the recommendation, and have two school teachers do teh recs?</li>

Thanks all!

<ol>
<li><p>Teachers may attach a letter. Have them put "see attached letter" under the "comments on this student?" section, and leave that section blank.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, you can use non-teachers, but in ADDITION to the standard two teacher letters. Supplemental letters can be very helpful in describing your character if the teachers mainly focus on academics.</p></li>
<li><p>I wouldn't send more than three letters total. Any additional recommendations should not fill out the form, only write a letter. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>I would say either do two teachers and 1 letter from your mentor, or two teachers and 1 letter from your summer program...</p>

<p>I'd ask the colleges. For the UMD honors program, they have a mininum of two letters, but the woman I talked to suggested that you submit 7-8.</p>

<p>OK so they won't just throw out random ones after they get 2 right (meaning you submit 4 and they only look at 2)?</p>

<p>Do you recycle your common app teacher recs with the recs that other colleges require? Like, when you're applying to college, you only get two recs total, and use those two recs for every school.</p>

<p>Yeah, can you send the common app to one school, edit it, and send it to another school? I probably will change my essays when I apply to different schools and same for my teachers with their recs. Is that doable? I heard there's something that the colleges on your "My Colleges" list can view your app before it's done which is really weird....</p>