The teacher copies the actual letter of recommendation. The student copies the the rec cover sheet for the common app.
Hm.
I have an actual rec. letter sitting about 2 feet away from me in a binder and itâs the original. So maybe it just depends on your school.
Iâve always just let teachers know that Iâm happy to supply them with a resume, copies of my essays, or anything else that they might find helpful in writing their recs (some have taken me up on it, some havenât, but I like to put the option out there). I also generally say that if it would be helpful, Iâm happy to meet and talk a little bit about my goals and interests. Whatever, just to make it clear that Iâm open to their questions, Iâm not just handing them an envelope and washing my hands of the situation.
My high school told us that three weeks should be the minimum time between a request and a deadline, but obviously longer is better. Also, check in once or twice (depending on how long of a time span it is and what their response is after checking in once) to remind them about impending deadlines.
Waive your right to see the recommendation. Iâm told that colleges find it a little fishy when students havenât waived the right, but even if admissions officers donât care, itâs polite.
Nice thank you notes are all thatâs really necessary, but I also gave small gifts to my rec writers (good chocolate). Itâs just a judgment callâŠI happened to know my writers all really well and theyâd also written a lot of different recs for me, not just school applications. Whatever you do, just make sure to show gratitude. I also think itâs nice, though not mandatory, to let your writers know how to contact you in the future, should they be interested in knowing what youâre doing (just your email or somethingâŠagain, probably depends on how well you know them).
If you have any weird circumstances (i.e. stuff that would require explanation or an addendum in your explanation), Iâd suggest addressing this with your rec writers, either in a personal meeting or in an addendum to them (letting them know that theyâre free to ask you for further details/clarification).
Iâve requested recs both in person and email. You donât need to worry about itâŠany teacher is used to the question (it can be a little more awkward with EC supervisors, coaches, etc. who may not have written them before, but you can broach the question similarly). I just stayed after class or went into office-hours or whatever and basically asked âWould you be willing to write me a recommendation for _____?â Sometimes I prefaced it with âI know itâs a really busy time of year for everyone, so feel free to let me know if this wonât be possible, but would you be willing toâŠâ
Youâll be fine. Remember that itâs a question teachers are totally used to 
1 Like
My teacher told us to get big manila envelopes with all the stamps and self-addressed envelopes, and copies of the Common App teacherâs recs with maybe a professional letter saying that they wanted a letter of rec and also what they would <em>like</em> there to be in it (as a reminder to the teacher, not as a way to be pretentious or arrogant â at least, I go to public school). And he said that presents never hurt anyone. 
DS1 is not planning on giving his resume to his recommending teachers. A cover letter about why he chose them and what he got out of their classes (reminding them of a couple course-related items in the process), yes, but not the big laundry list. As the Dean said, the rec is to fill out the picture of you, not to recite the same X awards.
One of his recs is likely to talk about an activity where my S was NOT successful. His spontaneous reaction made quite an impression on her and left no doubt that this is in fact how he handles tough situations. I have seldom felt more proud of DS as I did when I heard about this incident.
what if you graduated 3 years ago?? 3 of my favorite teachers are gone! lol
how do i go about asking for recs??? I think gifts is starting to sound like a feasible solution!
I think the gifts are more of a âthank you for doing thisâ (after the fact) and not a âplease do thisâ (seems kind of bribe-y, however well-intentioned). But I suppose you could try and frame it otherwiseâŠ
CountingDown â Now youâve really piqued my interest! Sounds like the type of letter that will really stand-out, though, and presumably say a lot about your son. Best of luck to him
What if we donât have any teachers that know us in depth because we switch teachers every year?
I think it is pretty much expected youâd use teachers from your junior year.
QUESTION: Iâm going to a large public university and in my 4 classes, 3 of them are by TAâs. If Iâm asking for recommendations as a transfer student, is it ok if I get recommendations from TAs rather than professors? I donât know how to deal with that. Are TAâs considered profs in the same sense???
Is it better to get a letter from a teacher that knows you well but havenât had you in class or from someone who has had you in class but doesnât know you well?
If your only choice is âfrom a teacher that knows you well but havenât had you in class or from someone who has had you in class but doesnât know you wellâ I think you should get both and send them one more than they asked for.
I also think it depends on how the first teacher has come to know you so well. For example, is she your momâs best friend and just happens to also be a teacher at your school, or is she someone who supervised you on a project and advises you in NHS, etc. but has never had you in an academic course? If the latter, then Iâd say that type of thing is just fine because she still knows you in an academic setting.
Remember that âknows you wellâ can be kind of a misleading phrase. Yes, itâs great if your teacher really knows you on a personal level, but if she only knows you in the classroom, itâs not necessarily a problem. There might be a teacher youâve never spoken to outside of class, but who can truthfully say that youâve done great work, youâre always respectful, youâre a leader in the classroom, you show unique insight, you handle tough situations well, whatever. What you donât want is a rec from the teacher who has little to say beyond âHe had excellent attendance and a decent command of the Spanish languageâ (the underlying message here is a combination of âI didnât really notice this kidâ and âThis is the most complimentary thing I can say,â neither of which looks great).
would it be good to give those folders on the first day of school?
It would give them plenty of time, but i dont want them to think of me as an annoyance.
also.
is it okay if i write what i want them to state in that thank you letter?
it is awfully hard to write about how great i am without sounding arrogant.
thanks
are teachers used to writing lots of recs for one person? is it bad to dump like 5 on the same teacher?
Colleges request recommendations from teachers who had you in class. Colleges want the perspectives of people who know personally about your academic performance and capabilities.
Iâm going to a large public university and in my 4 classes, 3 of them are by TAâs. If Iâm asking for recommendations as a transfer student, is it ok if I get recommendations from TAs rather than professors? I donât know how to deal with that.
norms39 â Most teachers will write one letter for a student and then just tweak it as necessary for the various applications, so the only thing theyâll have to do repeatedly is fill out rec cover sheets. In this sense, itâs probably easiest to ask the minimum number of teachers (unless you have certain reasons for wanting other people to write recs for certain schools. I think I sent 2 teacher recs to almost all of my schools, but I got recs from 3 teachers, so the combinations varied).
serena â Obviously you can send thank you notes whenever you want, but I think that most students generally send them after the recs have been submitted (and possibly even after they know where theyâll be attending, or maybe one note right away and then an update when they know their plans). I think the issue of âwhat I want you to put in the letterâ is kind of a touchy one and is important, but could be easily brought up awkwardly. If possible, it might be best to discuss face to face. Just my two cents.
If say we are applying to eight schools, do we use the same two teachers for all of them or can we use four different teachers so that each will do four? I just donât want my teachers to burn out.
iâm wondeirng if the subject the taught matter?
iâm really interested in economics/international economics, and i speak chinese, english ,french(4 yrs in hs) , so would recs from math(statistics &calculus) and french (2 yrs) teachers help me?
what other subjects should i consider? our school doesnt offer economics until lsat half of gr 12âŠ
the things, neither of the teacher mentioned above r in my clubs/school organizationsâŠdoes that matter though?
thanks!