<p>Letters of recommendation, that is my problem. I am going to use the Common Applocation, but I am confused on what they fill out, the letter they write, ect. Can someone go into an almost unnecessary rant on Letters of Recommendation and the Common Application? Thanks. :)</p>
<p>You ask a teacher to write you a letter. If they say “happy to” they will then get the form that your school likely has (instead of having to fill out a different letter on each college’s ap.). At my school, they then give the letter to the secretary, who sends it to the colleges that you are applying to. At my school you are required to sign a waiver that says that you will not have access to the letter (ie be able to see it). Other schools, I guess, give the letter to the student. Anyway the letters of rec are separate from the common ap. Ask your teachers early, because they get a lot of requests and are busy. This is especially important if you are applying ed somewhere. Generally speaking you need letters from 2 teachers. At my school, and some colleges specifically request this, it is recommended that you get one teacher from english/history and another one from math/science areas.</p>
<p>rmadden15, I will send you a giant message soon that will tell you everything you need to know about teacher recs and the Common App. Don’t you worry about a thing!</p>
<p>Okay, maybe not giant. First, click here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ayrecruiting.com/cao/update/CombinedFirstYearForms2009.pdf[/url]”>http://www.ayrecruiting.com/cao/update/CombinedFirstYearForms2009.pdf</a></p>
<p>General Overview: The Common App requires two teacher recommendations. Teachers fill out a form and write a letter of recommendation, and send those in by mail to each of the colleges you’re applying to. </p>
<p>Whom to Ask: It depends on what the college wants. In general, it’s best to ask the teachers who you think will write the best recommendation letters (you’d think that’s obvious, but not to many CC’ers). But some schools set limits. For example, one college might require a math/science teacher and a humanities teacher. They might not accept two math/science recs, so look at the rules of the colleges you’re applying to. Furthermore, there are supplementary recommendation letters (not on the PDF) that you can send, but read this: [the</a> guide to getting in: Winning the … - Google Book Search](<a href=“The Guide to Getting In: Winning the College Admissions Game Without Losing ... - Olivia L. Cowley, Harvard Student Agencies, Inc. - Google Books”>The Guide to Getting In: Winning the College Admissions Game Without Losing ... - Olivia L. Cowley, Harvard Student Agencies, Inc. - Google Books)</p>
<p>What to give them: There should be two teacher evaluation forms. Give each form to them, as well as stamped and addressed envelopes, a list of colleges as well as due dates, and maybe a description of what activities you do, and why you want to go to these colleges. Also give them a folder so they can keep everything neat and organized. Ask them nicely if they are willing to write recommendations first. Don’t just give them the forms.</p>
<p>What they’ll do: Once they’ve agreed to write a letter, they will take your form, fill it out, and then make copies to each of the schools. They will also write a letter of recommendation for you, then make copies of those for each of the schools. Then they take one form and one letter, and send that to one school, and so on until all the schools have received recs. You should do the rest of your application online, but teacher recs are on paper.</p>
<p>When: September is best. If you know what colleges you’re applying to, it can only help to give them more time. Make sure you remind them a week or so before the deadline that it needs to be sent soon.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and counselor recs work exactly the same way.</p>
<p>I think that’s all you really need to know! Thank them afterwards, teachers appreciate that.</p>
<p>Use the forms that dchow has provided to give the teachers. Also try to picture how many letters of rec teachers have to write, so help them out by filling out a questionairre detailing your interests/goals in college/what you did in their class. </p>
<p>Basically, this is what you should give your teachers:</p>
<p>– A cover letter (thanking them and describing what you have given the teachers, also includes your contact info in case they need anything more)</p>
<p>– A list of the college due dates</p>
<p>– The letter of rec forms</p>
<p>– Envelopes/stamps</p>
<p>– Resume/Survey (so they have something to write about)</p>
<p>Fill this out and write about what is given for your teachers (this is what my counselor advised students to fill out for teachers):</p>
<ol>
<li>School activities</li>
<li>Your most important activity </li>
<li>Activities outside of school</li>
<li>Awards and honors received</li>
<li>Books with an impact</li>
<li>Greatest academic accomplishment</li>
<li>How you learn (listening, writing, discussing, etc.)</li>
<li>3 distinguishing or most admirable qualities</li>
<li>Goals</li>
</ol>
<p>Here’s a great form that my school uses:</p>
<p><a href=“http://ghs.seattleschools.org/documents/RequestLetterRecommendation.pdf[/url]”>http://ghs.seattleschools.org/documents/RequestLetterRecommendation.pdf</a></p>
<p>Except rather than list activities, give brief paragraph-length explanations of what you do and what you get out of it.</p>
<p>Thanks you all.</p>