Like some others, I was also surprised how few LORs my son will actually need (be allowed to submit), based on his current list.
A few of his schools allow only one, and I was going to suggest he ask his GC which one to send. Does this seem OK to do? I guess it’s worth a try - though she may not feel she should answer.
Our GC was pretty frank about which teachers to get LORs from (and which not to). I think she’d tell us which LOR to submit to a school needing only one, or choose it for him. After all, she’s the only one who gets to read all of them! We don’t get a copy.
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A GC may be able to provide some input, knowing the teacher’s credentials/history, and writing ability. (My D’s LoR from a 25-year teacher, head of the math department for 10 years, sole Calc BC teacher, might be better than a first-year teacher (maybe…)). But beyond that, the student would certainly know the relationship and class performance better than a GC with hundreds of students.
My D didn’t consult her GC on this (nor about about anything else, tbh).
Are your students able to see the teacher rec’s, or do you sign that form waiving the right?
My student was advised to sign the form….then just found out from the GC that one of the teacher recommendations was not very good. I guess she talked about how she really didn’t know this student, having had only one term in person due to COVID, yeah - student got an A but can’t tell you much else, blah, blah……
Ouch, but good to know now. Has he submitted any of his applications yet? I think he may be able to change his recommender.
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Yes - luckily the GC caught it and we have requested a rec from a different teacher. Thanks!
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Sometimes I feel if Uni’s are going test optional, just forget about teacher and GC recs too like the UCs. My son was online pretty much for 18 months, then he was assigned a GC new to school. And with a huge class size, who knows what my kid’s recs will be. And if I am on my soapbox, if schools claim to want inclusion and diversity, do away with ED as it puts so many middle/ upper middle class people at a disadvantage.
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Wow, I’m surprised the GC was able to see the LOR.
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And I’m quite surprised they would share the confidential information with the student. Actually, beyond surprised.
If I was the teacher, I might never again do a LoR for a student with that GC.
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Same. I didn’t think GCs saw them, but maybe it is different at BS.
Just a hypothetical situation….Maybe when a teacher writes about having taught much of the school year online, or writes a loc which reflects issues with COVID and goes off track, or is new so doesn’t understand what loc’s are….then (hypothetically) it’s good it didn’t go through.
If a teacher is asked by a student, they should be honest and say that they don’t feel comfortable writing a LOC or maybe ask for more information if they really don’t know the student well enough to write one. Hypothetically, “I don’t really know this student and not sure why he asked me to do write this….” Is not very helpful - especially if that student was under the impression that getting an A in that course would give some indication of good work. I think this is more of a reflection of the teacher than a student.
When I taught at the university level, I worked with faculty/instructors who were unfamiliar with or who did not understand the recommendation rubrics required by different grad schools at the time. As a teacher, I always felt honored to be asked to write a rec for a student applying to grad school. Maybe, some teachers at the high school level are so overwhelmed by the amount of rec’s? They have many to write.
Wondering also if there are some new teachers or teachers new to Common App system that don’t understand the why/what/how about rec forms?
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I agree that teachers should just say “no” if they don’t feel they know the student well enough to write a LOR instead of doing something half hearted, and it’s good that you caught it. Half the time mediocre LORs come about because the teacher doesn’t say no but doesn’t really know enough about the student to make more than the most generic of comments. I’m a little surprised that at a BS the teacher wouldn’t be familiar with their students, though, since my impression is that classes are small and there is a lot of personal interaction.
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@Thorsmom66 - good question….but last year some courses were online/virtual for some students or shortened due to COVID.
One more bit of Covid damage, then. It was a sh*t year for sure.
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Following up on the park discussion and NYU: Yes, the park is basically fine during the day, and actually quite lively and pleasant. But to blend in more with the locals, call it Washington Square Park or Washington Square, not Washington Park. I grew up in New York and have never heard it called that before.
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Oops, my bad. I omitted a word. We certainly refer to it as Washington Square not Washington Park 
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Mystery solved. From the Common App help section:
Why are my test scores and other student data missing from the application preview PDF?
Colleges have the ability to suppress data that students have entered into the application on their PDF. The data that can be suppressed include:
• Any or all test information
• Social security number
• Date of birth
• Criminal history
• Gender
If the student entered any of the above information and does not see it on the PDF, it is by design. The suppressed information varies college by college.
During the final review stage of the submission process, you will have an opportunity to review your application PDF. Below the preview itself, there will be light grey text explaining which section(s) the college you’re applying to has chosen to suppress.
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My D decided to apply ED to Villanova. They did an excellent job at the Fall Preview Day of selling the business school and giving us the opportunity to talk to students and faculty and she felt like the tour guide was someone who could be a friend. Admissions are competitive these days and she is going test-optional so we’ll see what happens.
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Good luck to her! I am glad they have those short supplemental essays so she can demonstrate her fit after this good research!
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Okay, D22 has pretty much finished all of the essays for her EA school as well as everything in the Common App section. She’s put a fair amount of thought in completing each of her essays and inputting the requisite information (e.g., activities, honors, etc.) In short, I feel that she has presented herself as best she could but, truth be told, I have no clue whether the care and effort she has put into her application will have a positive, negative or no impact on whether she’s admitted.
Anyone else feeling the same?
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