<p>Daderoo, you could be right, but I would think all 5's on all areas would tend to be seen as simply disingenuous -- whereas if the teacher ranked the kid as "5" on areas of strength that he wrote about, with 4's in other areas, it might seem more real. In other words, the kid whose claim to fame is leadership skills ought to rank "5" in areas like leadership, independence, etc. -- whereas it would be more important for a kid who is very artistic to have high scores for qualities like creativity. </p>
<p>I feel that my son, in particular, was fortunate to have a couple of recs that really did make his personality come alive. You knew you were reading something from teachers who really knew the kid well; you got a sense of his personality; and without a doubt, even though the teachers came at it from very different angles, they were talking about the same kid.</p>
<p>I was not trying to suggest that an undescerning rec would be accurate or even most effective. But, for top schools, a flash of true enthusiasm in one or more aspects would sure be helpful.</p>
<p>One teacher forwarded a copy of my HS senior D's recommendation hope for the W and I to read. Made us both verklempt ("talk amongst yourselves...")</p>
<p>Another teacher (department head) send my daughter a draft version to validate activities, requesting additional verbiage to be inserted and additional areas to highlight.</p>
<p>Other teachers submitted recs that we never saw.</p>
<p>My D provided a copy of her resume to each person she requested a recommendation from.</p>
<p>I personally wouldn't be offended if a student requested to see a draft of a rec letter I was writing on his/her behalf. I always offer to share a draft with the student or parent, depending on the type of letter that was requested (usually for a scholarship or summer program), and I request the student to provide info (resume, brag sheet, etc.).</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the relationship a student has with the letter writer.</p>
<p>I really respect how fatherofthe and his D handled it!</p>
<p>I personally wouldn't be offended at all if a student requested to see a draft of a rec letter I was writing on his/her behalf. I always offer to share a draft with the student or parent, depending on the type of letter that was requested (usually for a scholarship or summer program), and I will request the student to provide info (resume, brag sheet, etc.).</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the relationship a student has with the letter writer, and I really respect how fatherofthe and his D handled it!</p>
<p>I have a question...
When applying to colleges, won't there be numerous requests on different applications for teacher/counselor recs? If so, do you ask a teacher for more than one rec, or more than one copy, or what? Or is the part for teacher recs on the Common Application? It is, of course, silly to think that a teacher would write more than one rec, but does it need to be copied for different colleges?</p>
<p>when should we ask about reccomendations? I don't want to seem too uppity by asking right the first few days of school, but I need to ask soon to give a long time to write etc...
so, when? help?
thanks</p>
<p>If school is not done, it's quite okay to ask teachers even now, before summer, and then when school starts in the fall, hand them a list of your schools, along with relevant details of specific programs you are applying to, plus some sort of resume/statement. Also give an addressed and stamped envelope for each school, to each teacher, with the due date pencilled on the front of it. They will appreciate your attention to detail, and you will not be worrying as much.</p>
<p>Of course, once you send in applications, and files are opened on you, most schools will allow you to track your application status online, and see what is still missing. So you know to go remind the school office to send in transcripts, or gently remind the teacher that a due date is coming up. Most teachers are very understanding of the students' stress.</p>
<p>"hand them a list of your schools, along with relevant details of specific programs you are applying to, plus some sort of resume/statement. Also give an addressed and stamped envelope for each school, to each teacher, with the due date pencilled on the front of it." -chocoholic</p>
<p>Does that mean you should let them know you're applying to several colleges and they should just use the same rec letter for all of them? For example, "Hi Ms./Mr., I am applying to colleges A, B, C, D, and E. Could you write me a recommendation letter for all of them?" Of course, asking in a nicer way, but is that the general idea?</p>
<p>Well, first of all, you want to talk with the teacher, and let them know that you would very much like them to write your recommendation letter*S* for college*S* when you apply in the Fall. You probably don't have a final list yet, but tell the teacher that you will get it to her in the first week of school. </p>
<p>In my D's case, she asked 2 teachers in May of Junior year, and they agreed. In September of Senior year, she gave them her list, with the deadlines and the envelopes. Both of them wrote letters, and then customized a little for each college. Many good teachers will do this...write up a personalized letter about the student, and then before printing off each one, make changes to address the perfect fit of the student for that school.</p>
<p>I waited until the end of the year to give my teachers thank-you gifts, because I wanted to include something from the school I ended up attending. But I think either way is fine.</p>
<p>Another teacher here. I'm a fairly easygoing person, but I consider it crass for a student to ask to see a copy of the rec I'm writing. The situation seems clear to me: The teacher's job is to agree to write only when he has something specific and positive to say about the student; and the student's job is to respect the professionalism of the situation--by not asking to see the letter.</p>
<p>I agree with spoonyj. This is supposed to be a personal assessment of the student - and it should be private (hence the sealed envelope for deliver to college). At a big public HS, you cannot expect teachers to "customize" recommendations. Most, if not all, colleges will accept "common application" recommendation forms, even if they have their own recommendation forms. (Again: even schools that do not accept the common app are often willing to accept the common app recommendation form.) If you have any doubts, call the college and ask. I suggest that you provide your teacher with pre-addressed stamped envelopes for ALL the schools you are applying to, and place in them postcards that are stamped and self-addressed and say, "College X received a recommendation from X" Put all the envelopes in one manila envelope to keep them together, and write the due date on the manila envelope. Pick the EARLIEST due date -and ask for them ALL to be sent out before that day. (I know it sounds stupid - but anything that can go wrong, will. We made the mistake of listing all the due dates for each college. One of DD's recommenders thought that she had to write each recommendation by hand on the common app form. She sent one off on the first due date, then never sent the others. We later told her that the standard operating procedure is to write one recommendation, then photocopy it for each school. One recommender sent her recommendation from Puerto Rico or some such country, and the recommendations never showed up. We didn't learn it was missing until much, much later.)</p>
<p>The advice in this thread is much appreciated. I was spared all of this for D1 because the (private) school she attended chose the teachers to write student recommendations, and no student input was solicited. This method apparently works, as the school has a very good track record with college acceptances. Still, it was a little disconcerting not knowing who had done the recommendations.</p>
<p>With D2 the school permits students to ask specific teachers. Even after all the good advice provided above, I don't see how a single letter would be appropriate for a student considering a variety of colleges. Taking two colleges from D1's list, how could one letter be appropriate for both Washington University and Occidental College?</p>