Letters of Recommendation
The School Recommendation is required by many colleges as part of the application package. The College Counseling Office uses information from teachers, peers, coaches, parents, and the counselor’s personal knowledge of the student to compile recommendations.
Teacher Recommendations are important elements in your application, as teachers provide insight about your intellectual self. Recommendations describe your work habits, academic passions, and contributions in the classroom. Some colleges prefer junior and senior teacher recommendations. Some colleges have required forms that must accompany letters. It is the student’s responsibility to distribute required forms to teachers. Teachers will submit letters and forms to the College Office.
Remember, it is the student’s responsibility to request letters in a timely fashion and to ascertain how many letters each college requires.
Your Rights under the Buckley Amendment
An act of Congress, the Buckley Amendment, affords you the right to look at recommendations after they are filed by colleges. Most recommendation forms have a provision to waive your rights. We strongly suggest that student’s sign the waiver. Colleges can comfortably rely on recommendations when students waive their rights. Doing so reflects self-confidence; the student is not worried about what will be written and those who make recommendations are free to be candid.