How to ask for recommendations?

by the way, i went to the post office and they told me they had to weigh the envelope and I have to get the stamps when I actually send the letters. I am using 9x12 envelope and I am not sure what kind of stamps I would need.

how big should the envelopes be?

Gia89: You should have asked them what stamps you would need.

stone_cutter: Regular size envelopes are fine, but some schools like Stanford have specific requirements about the size of envelopes.

I got the stamps! Two per envelope.
I have not seen any special requirements for my schools, but I am using 9x12( theyā€™re great because you donā€™t have to fold the sheets).

can anyone answer my question?

i think the resume is very important for the rec., because even a very familiar teacher will not know you very well, she/he may know your personality, but donā€™t know all the things you do outside the class.

Tomorrow I am giving my teacher stamped and addressed envelopes, two of my possible college essays and a resume. He wanted me to tell him what I want in his recommendation but Iā€™ll just tell him that he needs to write what he feels itā€™s best and just be honestā€¦ So weā€™ll see what happens

btw zebra, I agree with you.

If your sending 9 x 12 envelopes w/ probably about 2 - 3 pages in it, do you need one stamp on it, or two?

What kind of things would you put on your resume to give to your GC for the college applications?

Should I make copies of the Common App recommendation form for each school Iā€™m applying to, or should my teacher do that after sheā€™s filled out all the info?

^Your teacher should do that after sheā€™s filled up everything

^^ Everything like your achievements, briefly your activities ā€¦

This is one of my first posts on CC, so Iā€™m pretty new.

I have a question about which teacher to ask - usually, colleges recommend a teacher for an ā€œacademicā€ subject. This might be a dumb question, but would AP Psychology be okay? I really enjoyed the course (which I took in 11th grade), but I wasnā€™t sure if it would be enough of an academic subject. My other choice is my German teacher, who taught me for 8th, 9th, and (currently) 12th grade AP German, and who also recommended me for Governorā€™s School. I have a great relationship with both teachers. If I ask my German teacher, Iā€™m not sure if it would reflect unfavorably upon me since she did not teach me for 11th grade. My other recommendation will definitely come from my English teacher. Iā€™m not sure what to do - AP Psychology or German?

Thank you so much for your help.

I have two questions regarding this process

<ol>
<li>One of my teachers is computer proficient, the other may not be so comfortable. Is it ok for one common app rec to be online and the other teachersā€™ to be sent in by mail?</li>
<li>For hardcopy reccomendations, if I am applying early somewhere, and the rest are RD, should I tell them to write the RD recs along with the EA, and mail at the same time? How can I ensure that the RD colleges will keep this rec on file?</li>
</ol>

Answering your second question, colleges see this all the time. They will keep your recommendations until your application is submitted. Give your teachers the due dates for the recs, and let them mail them as they wish.

When I ask my teachers I give them a resume-just so they know what Iā€™ve done during high school.
I only had them for 1 class, so they probably donā€™t know about my volunteer work or hobbies.
BUT, I ask teachers that Iā€™ve formed a bond and friendship with- so they definitely know more about me than other teachers.

Some of my teachers get asked so often they have forms that you need to fill out in order to request a letter of rec.

This is similar to LoveToRead2009ā€™s question, but more extreme I think. Iā€™m applying as a theatre major to major theatre schools and one Ivy League. For recs, I asked my AP Lang teacher and my Grade 10 Drama teacher, who Iā€™ve worked with for two years on school productions, but I only took one semester of his class. Was it a bad idea to ask the Drama teacher? Iā€™m not sure heā€™d have a good grasp of me inside the classroom, but I know heā€™ll write excellent things about me as a member of the tech crew.

I know Iā€™ve already asked this, anyhow Iā€™ll ask again: If a college states on the website that recs need to be from teachers of two different subject/disciplines, will it be acceptable to have a rec from an english teacher and a rec from a latin teacher?
Or is it safer to ask my maths teacher? (Only problem there is, I wonā€™t get any chance to ask him the next 4 weeks.

If youā€™ve already asked this, then why are you asking it again? Depends on the school. Some schools need two teacher recs from different subjects and limit the subjects allowed. UChicago, for instance, didnā€™t accept a recommendation from my Latin teacher (had to be supplement). Look it up on the school websites.

How do you guys go about asking teachers how they are doing with the apps?
I gave my ED recs to my counselor and 2 teachers alreadyā€¦
I donā€™t know when/how I should ask them how the apps are coming alongā€¦

And can you request a copy of the rec? Or would it be more appropriate to just not say anything and see if they offer a copy.

You donā€™t. You assume that they are doing their jobs.

Only if you did not waive your rights to see it. And even if you didnā€™t, it is impolite to ask for a copy. Wait and see if they offer it.