How to ask for recommendations?

Do we use the same teacher evaluation forms even if the rec comes from someone who is not a teacher at my school? I am getting my Herff Jones yearbook representative to write a rec for me.

I need to know this as wellā€¦

These would be considered ā€œsupplementalā€ recommendations and are generally accepted (there may be a few schools that state that they donā€™t want supplementals ā€“ just check). They can come in the form of a letter w/o following a format. One page would be the rule, Iā€™d say. These would need to be sent in to the individual schools w/your ID information clearly indicated.

Yeah, Iā€™m not sure about this, either.

So would I ask the person to justā€¦ mail the letter to the school(s)? Or would I do the mailing myself? And how should I state who I am (or have the recommender do so)?

The recommender sends the letter to whichever school(s) you want. You give the recommender stamped, addressed envelopes.

The recommender includes on the letter your name, address, and high school attending. Thatā€™s enough to identify you.

MODERATOR NOTE to ā€œNon-teacher recsā€ thread:

Iā€™ll merge this thread with: asking for recommendations sticky thread.

Thank you, Chedva!

Which teachers are we allowed to obtain recommendations from COLUMBIA University? I understand they require two, but certain universities require that the teachers are from core subjects, such as math, science, english, etc. and that they were/are 11th/12th grade teachers.

I wanted my 11th grade law teacher to fill out a recommendation for me, and the site does not indicate any guidelines for which teachers I can obtain them from.

The only line I saw regarding letter of recommendations was: Letters of recommendation from two teachers - no other explanation.

Does anybody have a more concise idea on this?

Oh, and actually, not just Columbia University, but also other Common App universities/colleges.

Junine, if the collegeā€™s website is silent on which teachers, you can use whatever teachers you want. This is not a Common App issue; itā€™s a college issue. You must carefully check each collegeā€™s website. If you are still unsure, e-mail them. Theyā€™re not trying to trick you or keep these things a secret.

Do teachers write out a rec for each college or do they write one letter for all of them?

Usually a generalized one. Think about how much time it would take to write a letter for each college a student is applying to (and then multiply that by several students)

Teachers write one letter, make copies, and send those. Itā€™s perfectly acceptable and expected to send copies.

Okay, would this be a really strange and unneccesary request?

I got to an Independent Preparatory School.

I am extremely involved in humanitarian efforts in and out of school. I do a lot of work at the school, through leadership efforts, etc.

I also have a good relationship with the headmaster of my school, which many students do not. I am confident he has alot of respect for me, and often praises me.

What if I asked him to write an extra recommendation? Or is that a bad idea? I just thought of it recently, but I had no idea how smart or not it was.

Thanks.

I guess your Headmaster will write a rec for u, isnā€™t he ur GC??

no he is not.
there is a separate college counselor.

Oh ā€¦ maybe the counsellor report can be written by him if he knows you more than your counsellor.

I know who I want for my Humanities teacher, but there is no real math/science teacher that really stands out as being the one to ask for a rec.

However, I will have AP Stats this year (senior year) and although the stats teacher will only have taught me for a semester by the time college apps come around, she does know me for more than a year through my participation in math club and math tutoring (for which she is the adviser).

Should I ask her for a rec or would colleges prefer a teacher who has had a full year of class with me?

This goes in the Teacher Recs thread. Anyway, of course it would be better to ask a math/science teacher who has known you for a very long time, but if she has known you for more than a year, I think thatā€™s fine. What really counts is that the teacher knows you well and can write a thorough rec.

You can use the Stat teacher. She will have a two perspectives about you since she sees you in the club and the classroom. Many students are in your position and need to use teachers who only know them for a few months senior year. You are better off since she knows you from the club too.