I did not think clearly when I checked to waive my rights to recommendation letters, and now I cannot uncheck. I have not seen either of my teachers’ rec letters however. How badly will this affect my application? Is this the determining factor to be accepted into a college? I am applying to U of M and UPenn.
@jenniferadelaney It’s definitely not going to help you. The recommendations that the teachers write on your behalf whether you see them or not will have much less weight now for the admissions department. I have no idea if it’s even possible to undo the FERPA. Maybe contact the common app and see? It’s worth trying to reverse it if possible. Did you already submit your applications? In that case, you probably aren’t going to be able to change it.
It is expected that you waive your rights to see recommendation letters.
From what I understand, if left unchecked, if you are under 18 the right to see your LOR is allowed after your are accepted not before. I believe most check the waiver as some teachers won’t write a letter without. At my kids HS some teachers give a copy to the student, others keep letters confidential.
From the Common Application website:
- How does FERPA relate to your college application?
FERPA gives you the right to review confidential letters of recommendation under certain circumstances IF:
You are enrolled in college and that college saves the recommendations for enrolled students, OR You are 18 or older.
- In the application you'll be asked if you want to waive this right. Why would you want to do that?
Waiving your right lets colleges know that you do not intend to read your recommendations, which helps reassure colleges that the letters are candid and truthful.
Some recommenders may refuse to write a letter for you unless you waive your rights. Check with your counselor or teachers to see if any of them follow such a policy.
@jenniferadelaney ^^ I checked the Common App website. Here is what I found. You can still change your FERPA if a teacher has not sent in a recommendation to a school or until you submit your first app. Google changing FERPA choice and the common app has a video showing you how to change it. I don’t think your recommendations will hold as much weight with admissions without waiving your FERPA rights. It may affect your chances but honestly no one has any way of truly knowing.
It matters to some teachers, who want to write confidentially. It can matter less to the colleges. The real challenge is getting a solid letter, in the first place. Your admit decision will not hang on which box you checked. Nor whether a teacher privately shared the rec with you.
If you’re applying to colleges like Penn and Mich, so competitive, you should really know what matters to them, what they to look for, how to present that. And that this check box is far from “a determining factor to be accepted into a college.”
My D unexpectedly received a copy of a LoR from her favorite teacher at her graduation. It was so special to read it then well after all the admissions decisions had been made. It really captured her spirit and it was the most cherished gift she received that day.
It’s common practice to waive your right and very uncommon to ever be able to read them.
^Slightly off topic, but how many students write heart felt thank you letters to their teachers who write LoR’s? D and S both did, and the emotional thanks they got back from their teachers was priceless. Think about how much we owe to the special educators that make a difference in our kids’ lives.
Mine do thank you notes, a letter probably would have been better but the essays keep them pretty burnt out of heartfelt writing.
Even my Ds waived the right, the teachers still let them read the letter, just not giving them a copy.
So @happy1 and @lookingforward , in general, should all students check the box to waive rights? Just wondering. If so, the OP shouldn’t worry.
My kid’s guidance counselors told them it was expected that they would waive their rights to see their recommendations and that some teachers in the school would not write a LOR without the box checked. And FWIW, both kids also waived the right to look at their LORs for grad school applications as well. So at least as far as I know it is the norm.
I certainly don’t think the OP should worry.
My kids’ GC said the same.
Hard to imagine an adcom saying, Darn, really great applicant, but she didn’t waive Ferpa.
@BKSquared Mine gave little thank you gift instead. He really liked those teachers though.
@jenniferadelaney Confused by your title versus first sentence. Did you waive your rights? Check the box? At our school no one is allowed to see rec letters. Sealed and confidential.
@BKSquared My kids wrote nice notes of thanks and gave a very small token gift (our HS has a $20 limit which we respected) once the process was complete and they decided where they were going to college. My mom was a teacher so I saw firsthand just how meaningful a gesture of thanks and appreciation can be.
Don’t worry about this.
Any admissions officer who thinks that your teacher’s letter isn’t honest because you didn’t waive your rights is someone whose judgment you can’t respect, and a college or university that hires such a dimwit is a place you don’t want to be associated with anyway.
Contact CommonApp helpdesk and say you didn’t check the right box on FERPA and would like to waive your rights, how can that be switched?
My oldest D did the same thing several years back, not fully realizing it mattered. She filled out her common app. before senior year started and had not yet gotten the advice that, in general, it was favorable waive her FERPA rights. It could not be changed on her common app at that time.
She got accepted by all of the colleges she applied to, with merit scholarships, including 2 full rides. I don’t think you should worry about this. I agree with @happymomof1 , and I doubt that admissions counselors will assume that your recommenders were somehow pressured to write positive letters.
It doesn’t matter; don’t worry about it. You will most likely not envoke the right to view them anyway–you can only so if accepted.