Teacher recommendations (semi-weird situation, Naviance, etc.)

<p>I'm a full-time dual enrollment student at a university 80 miles away from my high school. I haven't been to my school since July and I'm not able to ask for recommendations in person. </p>

<p>My school just started using Naviance this year for teacher recommendations, and one of the GCs told me to just request the recommendations on Naviance. You're supposed to ask in person too, but she knew I couldn't so she just said to explain that to the teachers in the note. </p>

<p>I submitted the requests two days ago. I added a note to the teachers saying they could email me if they needed more information, but I haven't gotten any response. Obviously they wouldn't be done with the recommendations at this point, and maybe they're just not emailing me because they don't need more information, but I can't be sure they know I requested recommendations at all. </p>

<p>So I have two questions, I guess:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Should I email them and ask if they got my requests? If so, when? The recommendations will be due on November 1 and they didn't even say yet whether they'd be able to write them or not...I'm really nervous about asking for recommendations in the first place and I don't want to annoy anyone more than I already have.</p></li>
<li><p>I want to submit a Naviance request to a third teacher just in case one of the first two doesn't come through, but obviously I wouldn't want to tell this teacher they aren't one of my first-choice recommenders. Is it okay to send in three teacher recommendations if some miracle happens and they're all willing to write one?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>So…anyone?</p>

<p>Wait- did you email them first or anything, or did you just send the requests on naviance?</p>

<p>First of all, if you just sent the naviance requests without contacting the teachers at all, go contact your teachers. If they know you well enough to write good recs, and if you’re expecting them to do you that favor, it’s just polite to go visit.</p>

<p>Some teachers take their time with responding to naviance requests- I asked my teacher at the end of last year. I visited her earlier this year. I sent a naviance request a bit later, and she still hasn’t replied (with deadlines less than two weeks again, I should probably visit her again!). It’s not the big of a deal.</p>

<p>About your third teacher- teachers can’t see how many others you sent requests to. Again, no biggie. A friend of mine asked all his junior teachers for recs so he could read them over and only send the best ones. If three is too many, you can just ask your guidance counselor to remove one of them.</p>

<p>Indeed, you need to send them an email to let them know you “invited them” through Naviance.
In addition, can any of your current Dual Enrollment professors write a couple letters for you? That’d certainly be the most impressive, especially since you’re full-time dual enrolled. I’m sure one of your math professors would have good things to say about you :)</p>

<p>About your third teacher- teachers can’t see how many others you sent requests to.

</p>

<p>I waived my right to read the recommendations. I know they wouldn’t be able to see the other requests…I’m just wondering if I could ask a third teacher for a recommendation without having to tell them I’ll only need it if the other teacher doesn’t write one.</p>

<p>(I emailed both teachers and so far only one has responded.)</p>

<p>A friend of mine asked all his junior teachers for recs so he could read them over and only send the best ones.</p>

<p>How does that work?! If I was reviewing applications for a college, I would very strongly discount any recommendations that I knew an applicant had a chance to review and make a decision on before it was submitted. And if I was a teacher that was asked to submit a recommendation this way, I would refuse.</p>

<p>Some teachers who trust and like you will sometimes show you what they wrote BEFORE they upload the recommendation, in case they forgot something important.
Indeed, you must waive FERPA otherwise the recommendation won’t be taken seriously.</p>