<p>S also did thank you notes and homemade cookies. Our school has homemade baked goods (and heck, food - like Spanish classes had a banquet for Dia de los Muertos this week) made by parents and students for all kinds of occasions so it’s not weird to do that, here.</p>
<p>We definitely wait until all apps are submitted, but not until decisions. Waiting until all are submitted makes it clear it is a thank you, not a bribe.</p>
<p>The on,U reason we waited until near the end of senior year was that all of those who wrote recommendations for our kids continued to be their teachers through their senior years of high school. Pour kids were fortunate to have some long term relationships with several teachers who really were mentors to them as well.</p>
<p>My son went around thanked all his favorite teachers and the GC (not just the ones who wrote recomms), to tell them where he was going and to say thank you. They all appreciated it and felt valued – the gift (delicious homemade jam) was just a nice token. That’s what matters.</p>
<p>My D wrote a thank you note and put a gift card in it. Forget where to. Maybe Barnes and Nobles or Starbucks - our usual go to for teachers.</p>
<p>Kids wrote them thank you notes. My wife and I bought each of them 2 round-trip tickets to Tahiti - just kidding!</p>
<p>My kid’s chemistry teacher tutored her for SAT II test, but wouldn’t take payment from us, so I got him a round trip ticket to London on my points.</p>
<p>S hand wrote thank you notes. Always appropriate.</p>
<p>Talk with a few parents at your school if possible. At S’s school everyone gave gift cards. We put in cards for Barnes and Noble or Starbucks (he knew which teacher /GC would prefer which).</p>
<p>^I like giving bookstore gift cards, since I think they ought to be reading! :D</p>
<p>Dissenting voice here: I don’t think gifts are appropriate in that circumstance. Too much of an appearance of a quid pro quo. </p>
<p>So far, my son just sent thank you emails since he doesn’t see any of his recommenders and doesn’t have their addresses (he’s homeschooled; one recommender lives in another state, one is a former boss, and one is a college prof he doesn’t see anymore). I think I’ll have him email Amazon gift certificates after he’s done applying.</p>
<p>Our kids give recommenders and guidance counselor a $50 Visa card along with a nice thank you note. They took a lot of time to write very personalized letters, and we are grateful. The amount of the gift card isn’t as important as the hand written sentiment from the student.</p>
<p>Hm, maybe my son should take me out to dinner since I’m his guidance counselor. :-)</p>
<p>At the end of the school year, my DS wrote thank you notes that we purchased from the school he is attending and Starbucks gift card for GC and AMC movie gift card for teacher who wrote recommendation and loves movies. A little handwritten note in the digital world still goes a long way! </p>
<p>Coffee mugs with school logo to teachers and GC, school sweatshirt to HS coach upon receiving a Likely Letter in October. Thank you notes too.</p>