<p>I asked for more recommendations than I need, with the intention that I would read them all over and choose the ones which best illustrate my personality and abilities. A few teachers I was iffy about, so I decided I'd read their recommendation and see if it represents me in a desirable manner. No one explained to me about FERPA. I still don't completely understand it--why would someone voluntarily waive the rights of seeing their recommendation? Do colleges really care if you have waived the rights or not? (I am probably not looking at Ivies, but I am considering places like American, Lehigh, Ursinus and Lafayette). My school states that students should give teachers a stamped envelope to send out recommendations. However, obviously, with more than the amount of teachers I need, it would be unwise to do this, because then my colleges would be getting too many recommendations. Should I ask teachers to give me the recommendations instead, so that I can choose two?</p>
<p>The right is to read them after the admissions period is over. Neither your high school or the colleges want you to read them before you send them out. Either have only two teachers send the recommendations to a certain college, or have them fill out the recommendations online and assign them to different schools (mix and match), but you can’t view the recommendations online (nor on paper, unless your teacher lets you).</p>
<p>As for the right to later review the recommendation, colleges prefer that you waive it, but that won’t do you in or anything.</p>
<p>SvenskanFisk… your logic is completely wrong. Please do not do this. </p>
<p>Pick TWO teachers that you think can write the best recommendation letters, and ONLY ask them. Asking more than 2 teachers is a waste of their time since you are not submitting them anyway. And you NEVER read a recommendation letter - there’s a degree of teacher confidentiality that you need to keep. Please go to the extra teachers that you asked NOW before they start wasting their time on a useless letter. Keep in mind that they have to write letters for many other students.</p>
<p>I was recommended by someone that I ask for multiple recommendations and then decide which ones would work best. My school didn’t tell us about FERPA so I discovered this after the fact.</p>
<p>What you can do is invite several teachers to recommend you on the Common App, then mix and match: Teachers 1 and 2 to American, Teachers 1 and 3 to Lehigh, Teachers 2 and 3 to Ursinus and Lafayette. You can’t read them, though, so this is pretty much just for trying to match the pictures certain teachers will paint of you to certain schools or meeting the different subject recommendation requirements for certain schools.</p>
<p>Is there a way that I could send the recommendations without making the teacher’s mail them? The reason I ask is because I don’t want to bother my teachers every two weeks and tell them “hey, I found three more colleges I want to apply to, so please send my recommendations for the fourth time.” I’m not entirely positive how many schools I will apply to, and I am not sending out my applications all at once. Are colleges okay if they receive recommendations before or after an application?</p>
<p>Have them write them online.</p>
<p>SvenskanFisk: Yes you can have the recs sent to your schools long before the rest of your application arrives. The schools will match them up. with the online recs on the college app site it is incredibly easy for a teacher to recommend you again later for more schools if you add a few. they don’t have to do much more than cut, paste and send.</p>
<p>Our school has a form that we fill out and give to the teachers to write recommendations with. So I had my teachers write recommendations, and give *me the copies. I also gave copies to the guidance counselor. That way when I want to send one/two/three out, I know which ones I will want, and can just tell her. If she sends them out with the grade reports, then they are still considered “official.”</p>
<p>You can also write admissions a quick note and ask them if they will accept written ones instead of the Common App recs. It’s worth a shot.</p>