Hey everyone, quick question. One teacher who wrote me a rec left my school at the end of last year and is now in Oregon. My guidance counselor was unfazed by this info but a few days ago one of my friends pointed out that there’s a Teacher Evaluation form on the Common App that must also be filled out. How should I go about getting this form to my teacher? Thanks!
how exactly do you write and give a thank you note to a teacher for a rec? It’s been about a month since I asked for the rec, and I want to thank my teacher.
anyone? ^ how do i thank them? how do i “check up” on my teacher to make sure she sent the rec? i’m kind of new to this.
Just be polite. That’s really the only important thing.
To “check up,” I just drop a line (at what point depends on how early you asked, how close the deadline is, etc…make sure you’ve given long enough to have the rec written, and left long enough to still have it written in case it slipped through the cracks) and mention that the deadline is coming up on whatever date, and I know it’s a busy time of year (always a safe bet), so I just wanted to send a reminder. And I also mention that if the rec hasn’t been sent yet, it’s no problem, but if there’s any helpful info that I can pass along or if they’d like me to send another reminder at any point, they should feel free to ask.
As for thanking, you can really go about it however you please. I just said my thank-yous at the time and then sent nice thank you notes out once I knew my plans, thanking them for helping me throughout the process, giving contact info (just my email) for the future. I could also have done the opposite…given a note early on, simply told them my plans later. Or given a note both times. Some people give gifts. In high school, I think I left it at a note (might have included homemade fudge that I knew my rec writers loved, but I don’t remember). In college, I went with boxes of See’s. Low-key. Some do more, some do less.
Like I said: just be polite. Thank them like you’d thank anyone who’s done a big favor for you, and remind them in a casual, friendly, and non-freaked-out, non-condescending way.
Everyone’s new to it 
is it only school’s teacher who are allowed to fill the rec letter?
can i just ask my dance teacher or other teacher who are not from my official school?
When we check off the box saying no, we don’t want to see our recommendations (if we don’t, does this hurt our chances of getting in), is it okay to insinuate to the teacher that if he or she want to go over anything (aka the process or the letter itself), he or she should ask?
WesternSahara: Get in touch with the teacher and ask him/her what the most convenient way for you to send the info is. Snail mail, email, or fax should all be possible. You can send a fax from Kinko’s, or scan the form into a computer and email it as an attachment.
QQ Lipinski: Unless the letter specifics otherwise, it doesn’t have to be a teacher from your official school. It’s common to have more than one non-GC recommendation. If you’re only sending one, then I’d advise you to choose a teacher from your school, or at least a teacher with whom you have a logical connection (i.e. an old teacher, a teacher you took summer school with, etc., not just a teacher who lives next door to you). If you’re sending more than one rec, I’d advise you to have one from a teacher at your school and then, if you want, one from your dance teacher or a teacher outside your school. I’ve generally been told that academic recs carry the most weight, but for various applications, I’ve also requested them from coaches or other individuals (volunteer work supervisors, for example). If you’re applying to colleges as a dance major, maybe it makes sense to have a supplemental rec from your dance teacher. Just your call, really. The point is that yes, it’s (probably…it’ll tell you if it isn’t) allowed, but it may or may not be advisable, depending on your situation.
Byan1007: I’ve been told that you should always waive your right to see your recs, and that to do otherwise could look fishy and cause the rec to be viewed with some skepticism (“What doesn’t he want us to see?”). I don’t know if that’s based in fact, but it makes sense. And yes, it’s okay to insinuate that to the teacher, but I’d do it sort of like “Feel free to let me know if there’s any helpful info I can get to you, or if you have any questions, or just if there’s anything I can do to help,” rather than “It’s okay if you want me to read this and go over it.” I vote for subtlety. If a teacher wants and feels that it’s appropriate to show you the rec, he or she will do so. Otherwise, not your business.
I’ve talked to my counselor about recommendations, and what she wants me to do is take my teacher recommendations together with her school report, and send it in a school envelope to each college.
I think talking to a school counselor/official would clear things up, since they probably had more than enough experience with the process.
Also, question: anyone have an inkling about what colleges do to if more than the required # of recommendations are sent? Say if I send a rec from a math teacher and a english teacher, but the institution only requires 1 rec, they’d just read the 1st one, or place more importance on the one related to my proposed area of study (e.g. math if i propose engineering)?
Well, sending beyond the minimum shouldn’t adversely affect my admission, I hope.
hi…i have a question about teacher evaluation forms…my high school counselor is also my senior physics teacher and when i went to pick up my school report and evaluation, he gave me my commonapp teacher evaluation 1 back…saying he didn’t need it and wrote a single letter to go with the school report…now i’m confused about what to do…what about the teacher evaluation?
i managed to get another evaluation from another teacher…but am worried about this one…
my school is strict about these things…everything is closed and i will pay the postal cost and they send it themselves. what should i do?
just to summarize:
-cover page
-the 2nd page of teacher form (the checkboxes and stuff)
-some extra stuff explaining your activities, reasons to go to certain schools etc
is that all we need? Do the teachers still have to write us a Letter of Recommendation? (like they do for scholarships etc) and attach it to the form?
thanks!!!
i’m asking my teachers today…so nervous =S
The common application request that you use teachers that have taught you an academic subject…can I use my marketing teacher?
^ yeah i dont see why not.
Make sure to go to teacher that “like” you or know ur capabilities the best.
Im using the common app, so just make sure the teacher fills out the academic report, as well as attaches the Actual Rec.
My first recommendation was from my physics teacher, who is the AP and i know that i cant get a better rec from anyone else.
My 2nd was from my Leadership teacher (not an academic subject) BUT i feel that she could show me on a more personal level and away from academics and more to the “community service” side.
Another quick question.
I’m applying for science programs at some extremely competitive schools. I’m definitely asking my science teacher to write a recommendation but I don’t think there’s a restriction on who I give my second letter of recommendation of letter to. The reason I bring this up is that while my social science teacher will give me a god letter of recommendation, my English teacher will give me a great one. And I think it would show great versatility to have two very different teachers show very different sides of me. Is this a good idea? Because I’ve always heard that if you’re applying for pre-med, it’s ideal to get a humanities and a science reference. I don’t want to submit an additional reference because that is just excessive.
^I have the same question as above
Different academic subjects: Math and Chemistry are different right?
Is it only MIT, Caltech and Chicago that specifically require a humanities teacher?
question: when should I give the teacher that wrote my rec a thank-you card?
^when you get in?
I got amazing recs and evaluations from my high school teachers. However, my college tutor just sent me a 4 line email as my rec. My coll transcript is missing in the post and they’re not sending out another one AND I’m applying as a transfer.