<p>With my son likely applying to 8+ schools next year, I would be interested in hearing how others handled the need for multiple teacher recommendations this year. </p>
<p>Are most college teacher recommendations free form letters that can be sent to more than one school, as opposed to a specific form to be filled out. How many did you use from any one teacher? Do teachers write them To whom it may concern or is there a better opening you have seen that still provides for universal use? I assume colleges know that some recommendations are being used over and over. I understand the courtesy of providing addressed, stamped envelopes to the teachers to make it easier for them.</p>
<p>Any further guidance you can provide is appreciated</p>
<p>Teachers generally write one letter that can be copied for all the schools. Most teacher recommendations also have a section where teachers check off boxes describing the student. With so many schools using the Common Application this form can be done for multiple colleges as well. Your child should pick one or two teachers that will do recommendations for all the applications. It’s a good idea to ask spring Junior year as sometimes popular teachers get booked up. Your son should also take a look at the requirements of the schools where he is applying. Some schools (like MIT) have specific recommendations about what type of teacher they want for the recommendations. These are subject to change so no matter what it says in the spring - double check the requirements in the fall. </p>
<p>My younger son had a number of schools that only needed one recommendation, but it was easier for him to just have both teachers send letters. I don’t think it hurt him any. He had a math and history teacher. Since they had quite different things to say about him, I don’t think it was helpful to have two perspectives about him.</p>
<p>“Are most college teacher recommendations free form letters that can be sent to more than one school?”</p>
<p>Yes.</p>
<p>“How many did you use from any one teacher?”
The most my D has asked for thus far from one teacher is 8.</p>
<p>D asked two or three teachers to be her recommendation writers while she was still a junior, and she reminded them during the first week of her senior year. Some of the recommendations were forms that they filled out (common app.) and others were just a letter (also common app.). I believe the letters must be written in a general way because D was able to use them for her scholarship apps as well.</p>
<p>My suggestions: (1) make sure your child establishes a relationship with his/her counselor now (because they also have to write recommendations!); (2) secure the teacher recommenders early; (3) prepare a brag sheet to be given to the counselor/ teachers. This brag sheet can be a resume listing what your child has done, test scores, ECs, aspirations, challenges overcome, etc.; (4) don’t wait until the last minute to request scholarship recommendations; (5) purchase a couple of extra sealed, official transcripts that can be included in scholarship applications; (6) make sure that your recommenders (including the counselor) are thanked often. In addition, my D has been accepted to 4 colleges thus far. After each acceptance, she made sure to inform and thank her counselor and teachers who wrote the recommendations. She has found that they are grateful to know that the work they put into writing the recommendations was worth it.</p>
<p>Oh, and mathmom makes a good point. Try to ensure that the recommenders come from different subjects. D was lucky enough to have a math teacher, a science teacher, a history teacher and a language teacher lined up. She was able to pick and choose which to ask depending upon the requirements of the app.</p>
<p>Our school has it set up so the students have a biography form the kids fill out as well as one from the parents. They give those to the teachers that they would like recommendations from as well as the guidance counselors. After the teachers have agreed, they will write a recommendation in Word and give that to guidance so guidance can print it out whenever needed. Unfortunately, many colleges also ask for supplemental rec forms which the kids were requred to hand deliver to those same teachers. Most students at my son’s HS only apply to three colleges but some, like my son, applied to about a dozen. Forunately, not too many asked for the supplemental rec form so I hope it’s not too much of a burden. Son and I will both write a thank you note to all teachers and guidance once the whole thing is over.</p>
<p>Thanks for your prompt and thorough responses. I really do appreciate it. </p>
<p>Did you find that most teachers provide the student with a copy of what they wrote? My son has had two done for summer programs. He was given a copy of one and the other was sent directly by the teacher. The one he received was a great motivator as he wanted to continue to work up to her glowing praise.</p>
<p>My S’s teachers did provide him a copy of what they wrote, despite the fact that he checked the box on the Common App form saying he would waive his rights to see them. </p>
<p>He asked a Biology teacher and an English teacher. They were both excellent recs, but we felt that the English teacher one didn’t really add any new information that the Biology teacher hadn’t covered (and my son had some English awards to attest to his competence in that area) so he only sent the Biology rec to the schools that only wanted one. </p>
<p>Both teachers wrote a single free-form letter which could be re-used in multiple contexts. My S applied to 7 common app schools plus MIT (has their own app) so the teachers only needed to do two different “check off” forms to go with the letter. S also applied to at least one scholarship that required a teacher rec, so he just went back to the bio teacher and asked for another copy with the required header info for the scholarship added, which the teacher was happy to provide.</p>
<p>For cases where they were snail mailed (common app and some other programs also allow online submission) our guidance office actually offered to send them along with S’s transcript and school report and GC recommendation, and didn’t even want us to provide the envelopes or anything, but I think that’s less common. </p>
<p>Your S should ask his GC how his school usually handles the letters of recommendation, as some schools have forms they like the kids to fill out etc.</p>
<p>I think it can very widely if a teacher will give you a copy of the rec. None of my son’s teachers gave him a copy. This did not surprised us. One teacher offered to write the LOR so we can only assume it was good (This is a teacher you do not ask for a LOR, she will let you know if she is willing. You do not turn it down.). </p>
<p>I would offer a few things, along with the good advise of other members. Do not go overboard. Your student will need one from their GC. The schools will be specific of what they want so your student needs to look at all possible choices to get an idea. They may need only one additional teacher, a math and science (per some e’school apps), or one math/science and one humanities. From all possible combinations, find the lowest number of teachers that will cover all bases. Schools honestly don’t want 10 LORs. A letter from an alumni isn’t going to be meaningful unless that alumni can honestly speak to your students ability and potential. People will offer when they know where your student is applying. Politely decline unless this person knows your student, then proceed with caution. Letters from elected officials are only important when applying to academies. Otherwise they mean little. The fewer your student can send, by people that your student has good relationships with, the better.</p>
<p>As others have said, ask early. Give them a cover letter thanking them and introducing the list of schools. A short description of what they intend on studying. An academic resume that is no longer then two pages. Attach copies of the forms from each school with the basic data filled in (their name, etc.). Include addressed, stamped envelopes for every school. If there is an option to file online, such as the Common App, make note of this option and let them know to contact you if they prefer this. They have to added to the Common App account. This can not be done until the Common App wipes out the current years data, makes changes, and goes ‘live’ again this summer in July-early August.</p>
<p>Again, as others have said, thank the teachers and GC. Keep them updated. It is my opinion that a gift card, etc. should not be presented until the school has been selected. Your student should write thank you notes before that.</p>
<p>My older son did not see any of his teacher recommendations, but was shown his GC recommendation. My younger one saw the recommendation from the math teacher - it couldn’t have been better especially given that my son did not always get top grades in math. He didn’t get a copy though, so I only know what he says it said. The math teacher didn’t ask for any extra info from him. The history teacher had a whole handout for kids that asked for recommendations. As I recall he wanted:
a copy of their best research paper from the class
a reminder of what the AP score ended up being
what their favorite book read in class was, and why
what they were thinking about majoring in and why
what there favorite activity outside academics was and why</p>
<p>I suspect the history teacher’s recommendation was quite different from math teacher’s, but also good.</p>
<p>My sons wrote thank you notes after he got in. The one he wrote to his GC was so nice (over the top really) that she called me up and cried. They don’t get a lot of recognition for what they do. I am really glad he took the time to thank her.</p>
<p>In our school you give the teachers stamped addressed envelopes for the recommendations, but that may be changing as more and more of this stuff gets done on line.</p>
The math teacher didn’t ask for any extra info from him. The history teacher had a whole handout for kids that asked for recommendations. As I recall he wanted: