What exactly is the letter of recommendation?Answered
I just found out that the letter of recommendation is really just the teacher evaluation form and the actual letter is just extra or you can say optional. Is this actually true?
I've already asked my APUSH teacher to write the actual letter. She knows me really well but I'm going for cs if that affects anything. Should I insist with her submitting this letter along with teacher evaluation if that's what is required?
I'm moving to a new school also so is it best for me to not ask my new HS counselor or any of senior year teachers to write the actual letter and just have them fill out the teacher evaluation form?
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2 answers
Hi @leon!
The teacher evaluation includes some basic information about the teacher and their relationship to the student, but that is mainly to provide context for the main document — their letter of recommendation. The former isn't really useful without the latter.
You should therefore ask for a letter of recommendation specifically, since that's what they will be writing for you. Your high school counselor will submit their own forms; your recommendations should be separate.
Here's some tips on who to choose for your recommendation. Your first letter should come from a teacher in your intended major who you think knows you well (if you're applying as an engineering student, you'll want a math or engineering teacher). Your second letter should then come from a teacher who you think provides an important perspective on your personality. This could be from someone you're close to, or perhaps a teacher whose class you initially struggled in before finishing with good grades. The point is that your letters should compliment each other — you want to cover as many aspects of your personality and interests as possible.
I would prioritize getting to know your senior year teachers and making an impression so that your more recent teachers can be your recommenders. Joining any extracurriculars they sponsor could also be a good way of getting to know them.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions.
No. You can not say "optional" when you fill out your Common App or Coalition App with regards to teacher or counselor recommenders. Some colleges have a 4th recommendation like Dartmouth which is a peer recommendation. This 4th recommendation is not required so it is technically "optional" but that would be the only exception to the rule.
You are confused to think there are two documents. There are not two documents. Just the teacher or counselor recommendations. The teacher evaluation at your school is something that is specific to your own school and not part of the college admissions process. At my HS we had teacher evaluations after each grading period but those were only for me and my parents to read, not for college admissions officers. Therefore you do not cut and paste your teacher evaluations into your Common or Coalition Application. You do not do anything with those okay.
Answer to 2nd question. It doesn't matter who writes your teacher recommendations unless the colleges state up front that they want 1 STEM teacher and 1 Humanities teacher plus your HS counselor. You should always just pick the teacher who best knows you and can advocate for your academics and personal character.
Answer to 3rd question. Unless you have a pre-existing solid relationship with your HS counselor and they know you are going to a new HS this fall and you have already confirmed with them to be involved with your college admissions process as a recommender, it would be more streamlined to ask the new counselor to coordinate things for you.
Quick Rules of Thumb:
1. Pick your teachers who best know you and will advocate for you.
2. Build a solid relationship with your HS counselor if you haven't already.
3. Recommendations do not have to be aligned with majors unless the college you apply to asks for STEM majors to have at least one STEM recommender.
4. The Common or Coalition App is not the same thing as an end-of-semester Teacher Evaluation which is connected to your HS transcript.
Watch this video so you know what HS counselors and teacher recommenders have to do when you send them a Common App recommender invitation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJL3FSK3H5E
Good luck!
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What about the teachers, are the recommendations separate from the forms for the teachers too or it's uploaded together? And is it something that I ask the teachers to fill out like the LoR even if it shows up on their recommender pov?