One of my daughters has been working very hard to get into a couple of competitive schools. She has all A’s, leadership, high ACT scores, etc…
She has a lot of social anxiety and it took a lot to get her to ask the teachers for recommendations. She finally did that and sent the requests through the common app.
One teacher completed the recommendation.
The last time she logged in the recommendations were removed and there is no ability to request them again. Instead it says something like “your school system is moving to Naviance. and contact your counselor.” So I had her do that and he said the school system is integrating a new system with the common app and to just wait.
That was a week ago and nothing has happened. She’s about ready to turn in her applications. So frustrating! I called the counselor this morning and haven’t heard back from him at all. Apparently he has to contact the new system. We can’t contact them directly.
I suppose she could have her ask the teachers to send it again directly to the school but I know the teachers are busy and it will be a struggle to get her to communicate.
I believe the recommendations usually have to be turned in on a more flexible timeline than the regular applications do. When my son applied ED to a school last year, I believe the school required it within a reasonable period of time, or some other vague terms.
However, if your school is in the middle of changing stuff, it might not be a good thing to hit submit anyway. I don’t know exactly how that stuff works, but you don’t want them to kill out this application and then this school never gets the correct one.
You do still have a little bit of time, but you might want to make sure that they are going to be done before the ED deadlines. Or find out how you are supposed to proceed if they do not expect to be done. At least if you have that information you can figure out what you need to be doing.
Good luck! I’ve had to deal with a guidance office that is geared towards just getting kids to graduate, otherwise sending them to it and stay public. So I feel your frustration. different details, but I’ve been extremely aggravated several times the last few years too. Ultimately things always worked out, just not a smoothly as I would have hoped for. Good luck.
You don’t have to wait to submit your app because of recs. My son submitted all his apps, and the letters of rec went through Naviance later. Our school only sent things out in waves, not based on student request. For X deadline, the recs went out Y date. His apps were long gone by the time guidance sent everything.
I would follow up with them, especially with a new system, but I’d get the apps in.
Agree with everyone else, the vast majority of schools allow more time for letters to come in. So yes, get them submitted! Then just keep an eye out on the Common App to see when the letters come in, and follow up if needed, in a while. And that does sound really frustrating. Why would a school choose to move systems NOW rather than in May, June, July or August?
^ Agreed. What a terrible time to change over systems! I would encourage your DD to get her apps in. If her GC isn’t being responsive, I wouldn’t hesitate to escalate your request, politely of course, to the next up the chain of command.
Right? What a terrible time to change systems. As if this whole process was complicated and stressful enough.
Her twin sister still has her recommendations in the common app. I keep waiting for them to fall off. No one else i’ve talked to has had this problem. You would think it would affect everyone the same.
Right now it doesn’t even look like they are going through the common app. There is no information except to use this other system and to contact the guidance counselor. I’m concerned that something is wrong and it will be more work if she submits.
I’ll give the guy one more day and then I’ll escalate.