Hi! I’ve been looking into private schools because I like smaller populations and i found Creighton university which doesn’t require letters of rec. Do you know any other ones that don’t require them with less than 3000 people or around there that also isn’t too skimpy on giving out aid? I prefer ones in California that don’t require SAT/ACT but any state works and if they require sat it’s fine too. Thank you!
My stats are not set so I won’t share but a super competitive school is not meant for my personality. Thanks so much!
Schools that require neither SAT/ACT’s nor letters of rec are looking for warm tuition paying bodies. There are about 2000 such schools in the US. Don’t expect much financial aid.
Most schools that have automatic admissions won’t require letters of rec, except all of the ones I can think of require SAT. This seems kind of sketchy. I get not requiring recs if you just never really connected with your teachers, but you should have taken the SAT. I get not wanting to submit SAT scores because you’re not a good test taker, but you should have performed well in class and got letters of rec.
OP, please don’t choose a school where you will spend the next four years of your life based on this criteria. Your teachers are all used to be asked for recommendation letters. You don’t owe them anything other than a thank you note in the spring. If you feel too awkward asking in person, then send an email but don’t let something like this influence where you go to school.
Agree. I have to admit, one of the most nerve wracking things I ever did was asking a college prof for a letter of recommendation for employment when I was graduating. It took every ounce of courage I had. So I totally get it. I was shy and awkward, but decided there was no way out of it.
Now that I look back, I now know that letters of rec are part of high school teacher and college profs job. It is part of what they are expected to do. This prof asked a few questions about what kind of job I was looking for and my long term goals (and he laughed at my goals, and said I should shoot higher, and he was right!). So your teachers might want to know what kind of schools you are applying to and what majors you are considering. I also think it is ok to ask by email, although be prepared for them to ask you to stop by to discuss. And ask soon, they like having a lot of time before the deadlines.
I understand that, a lot of schools only require 1 letter of rec. if there is a teacher you liked from a past year, you could shoot them an email and say
“Dear Ms.
Hope you are having a good school year, I’m disappointed I haven’t had a chance to see you. I was wondering if you would write me a rec”
In the Midwest:
OHIO: Wittenberg, Hiram
IN: Valparaiso, Butler
IL: IL Wesleyan, Bradley, Monmouth
MO: Truman State
This is not a comprehensive list, btw. For other schools in these states, just check out the admissions and application requirements on the school’s website.
But I agree with others here who advised you - If you have good grades and test scores, please don’t let the LOR requirement stand in your way! You will likely get some good ones from your teachers.
