<p>MIDNDAD's advice is spot on!</p>
<p>Recommendations-
teachers may, or may not, honor a request for giving you a copy. At our son's school, for example, each student was asked to sign a waiver to release the reference- sight unseen- to where it was going. You could opt to decline, thus giving you a chance to read the reference, but that would be noted on the reference accordingly. Based on what MIDNDAD posted, it would seem each school has a different policy regarding this.</p>
<p>As for the application-
I would add to the advice already given to make sure to follow the application instructions to the letter-
if they want 500 words in an essay, give them 500. I have personal knowledge of one civilian university that weeds out candidated right there- if the essay exceeds their limit (750 words) it got put on the deferred pile for later........ and read only after the early admits were offered admission! Can't say if that is the practice at every school, or for the USNA for that matter, but I remember someone telling our Mid "if you can't follow simple directions, what makes you think they will trust you with following the important ones!"</p>
<p>Anyway, food for thought!</p>