I applied to Dartmouth RD. The peer rec is a strongly encouraged part of the application that seems to be a big deal for admissions. They are looking at it as a view into your life from a different perspective. Unfortunately, I do not have a peer to write a recommendation. I did not take high school courses this year and did college classes dual enrollment. I do not have any college students to write a rec because of the online modality of my courses. I am worried that this will invalidate my application. What should I do?
Do you have a friend that can write the peer rec? It doesn’t have to be a college student.
I do not have anyone who could write anything about me as a person. It is not an exaggeration to say that I do not have any peers. My AP Calc class had 5 students, 3 of whom have graduated. Due to the competitive nature of things, the other two peers would not be helpful and I haven’t spoken to them since early junior year.
Do you think I could write something and add it to my admissions portal to explain the situation?
I think you should try to find someone near your age to write the rec. What about a family member or someone from a religious organization or job?
According to Dartmouth, the peer recommender can be “…A few examples are a classmate or teammate; brother, sister, or cousin; a co-worker; a friend met at summer school or summer camp; lab or debate partner.” I hope that you will be able to have a peer recommendation sent in on your behalf. Perhaps you can summarize your accomplishments and aspirations for your recommender to help with their writing ( I am not saying that you write for them).
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I think the idea behind a peer rec has merit. Due to the pandemic and my unique situation, I truly do not have anyone who I can ask. I essentially l homeschooled myself for the past two years. Is it unheard of for someone to get accepted without a peer rec?
It is possible that one can be admitted without a peer recommendation, but I am sorry that I don’t know the answer. I hope that all will work out for you.
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It is “strongly encouraged” not required, so I don’t think the peer rec is going to make or break an application. If you don’t have anyone to ask then just put it behind you.
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Thanks for the advice! I am sure it will work out in the end.
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My S has a test score but did not submit a peer recommendation either. His best friend and he have a couple of poor AP teachers who, combined with back and forth remote and in person transitions, are making the semester miserable. We didn’t feel right about putting an extra burden on him under the circumstances while he prepared his own applications. S did have the maximum teacher LOCs and didn’t ask his coach due to being overwhelmed. He has a lot of community service that we hope will speak to his good character. So, hopefully optional means optional this year. 
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I think it is very subjective. Even students with great personalities can fail to have that shine through because of the recommendations.
True. I understand the idea behind it but this year it’s just an extra burden for a school that rejects most of its applicants. Hopefully they will like the rest of the app.