I’m sending a few applications through Common App. Do I send my applications in first and then ask teachers to send recommendations, and they do it themselves? And is the deadline for recommendations the same as the application deadline?
Also, on my common app, should I put cart pusher/grocery bagger/cashier on the paid activities section? Should I try to make them sound nicer, or just not put them at all?
You can put something like “worked at a local grocery store,” without going into too much detail on the job itself.
If you’re putting a job down as an activity instead of using spot #10 to lista community service activity that you spent 500 hours on, perhaps reconsider. If the alternative is listing your post as vice-vice-president of your school’s My Little Pony club during the first 2 months of grade 9, go ahead an put the jobs. Colleges view working part-time or summer jobs quite favorably, though it would of course be better if you’d cured cancer last summer.
I’ve never done community service. In fact the only extracurriculars I’ve done are track and basketball, which I used for 1 and 2, and 3 for my two jobs. You just scared me now, do most people list 10 activities because I don’t have that many…
You don’t have to fill the list w/junk. My kiddo was an eight season varsity athlete. Didn’t have time for many activities outside her sport. I think she only listed 4-5 activities in total. She did fine
Thank you but can somebody explain how the recommendations work?
You need to ask your recommending teachers if they would write a recommendation for you. Then you list those teachers names and contact information in your common application account. There is some method in common application to send the recommended their own links connected to your account that they then use to do the recommendations. There is also a school report and transcript part that your guidance counselor will have to do. Your counselor should be able to help you with these issues. As far as when these things are due, you have to check for each school. Some require all materials in by the deadline, some seem to be more flexible about the stuff that is beyond your control.
So one school I’m applying to (Northeastern University) has the application deadline for tomorrow. I’m on Christmas break so I can’t ask my counselor or teachers anything. I guess I’m just going to have to apply without any recommendations? Does that hurt me significantly?
Your teacher’s rec just follows your app in a few weeks. Don’t tarry however. Get on it right away once school starts. Did you not have any other apps requiring rec letters? Send one of those if you did.