How to submit recommendation letters on the common app?

The time when you decide to apply for graduate school is the step toward your career journey. No matter which type of program you decide to join, you will be asked by the college to submit a recommendation letter as an essential application requirement.

For this, you can take help from your teachers and advisors in preparing and submitting your recommendation letter. How to prepare an impressive recommendation letter? We have highlighted all the important facts related to recommendation letters on the common app.

To secure your admission to any specific program by submitting a recommendation letter, you must read the article properly.

What are recommendation letters on the common app?

Even if students have a long year or strong relationships with their teachers, they still do not know what to include in their letters of recommendation. Teachers are ready to write letters for their students, so it is good to prepare a list of the things they write to aid in recommender memory and the writing process.

On a common app, the successful recommendation letter can be personal, descriptive, and complementary to the application. Remember that recommendation letters are not redundant in any case.

The best thing is that high schools have a system to help in the process of recommendation letters. There is a counseling office that asks students to go through a questionnaire to put in a request for a recommendation letter.

How to submit recommendation letters on the common app?

Here is the step-by-step process to submit the recommendation letters on the common app.

•  Choose the people you want to submit recommendation letters to on your behalf, and ask them to follow the related advice.
• Then, send your college list, resume, and other information related to you to give more context.
•  After that, log in to your common app site and add your recommenders to the list of ” invite and manage recommenders.”
• Go to FERPA and the recommenders section of your school in the “my college” tab.
• Before assigning the recommender, you must complete the FERPA and family educational rights to release the authorization process. Here we suggest waiving your rights.
• Then, you should assign your recommender to the school you are applying to.
•  After assigning a recommender, you can get notifications on the letter you are willing to send to your school mentioned in this list.
•  It is suggested to ensure whether they meet the school’s requirements for a recommendation letter as you select which letters are sent to which school.
• Lastly, tap on the submit button and submit your recommendation letter online through the common app.

After submitting the recommendation letter, it is suggested to check in periodically online. If the deadline for submission is near, but your recommenders do not tell you, you have to check everything properly before submitting. 

How do teachers submit letters of recommendation on the common app?

Usually, students ask their teachers to submit recommendation letters. Various recommenders or teachers usually send recommendation letters in digital form through the application platform students use, named a common app.

Suppose the deadline for submission of the recommendation letter is close, but still, your recommender has not submitted the letter of recommendation. In that case, students will ask whether they need the person to complete their recommendation or not.

This approach is considered more polite, rather than saying that your deadline is close, and you do not submit your recommendation letter, what you are doing till now, etc.

To avoid such conditions, it is suggested that students ask their teachers or recommenders to submit their letters of recommendation on the common app.

Common app teacher recommendation form

The teacher recommendation form on the common app consists of all the details about the teacher, their recommendation letter number, and their relationship with students. The teacher recommendation form on the common app also consists of the rating students give to teachers based on their traits, skills, assessments, behavior, learning abilities, and many more.

Once you add the teacher recommendation form on the common app, it shows with which college you are assigned, how you give college-related recommendations to students, how many recommendation letters are submitted by you on a common app on behalf of students etc.

How to add letters of recommendation for graduate school?

Here are the simple steps to add your letter of recommendation for graduate school.

• First, you have to greet your recipient in a recommendation letter
• Opening paragraph: applicant relationship, position, and general assessment of public
• Second paragraph: EvidenceEvidence of skill or trait, positive skill, anecdotes that determine your skills
•  Third paragraph: Additional traits or skill, EvidenceEvidence of skill and character, and anecdotes in brief
•  Final paragraph: It gives a clear recommendation of the applicant to a specific program in a specific college
•  Closing line: A polite offer to contract if required 

How to update recommender info on the common app?

Sometimes, there may be chances to misspell any recommender information while putting it on a common app. Most students are worried about how they update the recommended information to eliminate mistakes.

If you misspelled any recommender-related information during the invitation process on the common app, then you are not able to change or update the information. In this case, you must inform your recommender because they can only update the information after logging in to their account.

They can tap on the gear icon ( next to the signup button) showing on top of their screen, open their account, and update the details. Once the recommender corrects the details, the updates will automatically be reflected in your application.

How to view recommendation letters on a common app?

Whether you can view your recommendation letter or not on the common app, it is completely based upon you as a student or teacher.

• Some students submit the recommendation letter itself on the common app, which means they have the referee name or password, from which they can log in to their account on the app and view their recommendation letter.
• On the other hand, if the student submits their recommendation letter on a common app with the help of a counselor, teacher, or advisor, they do not view their recommendation letter directly.
• Only their counselor or teacher can view the recommendation letter by logging in to an account on the app.

How do recommendation letters work on the common app?

Common apps make the whole recommendation letter process easier because it is handled on a professional platform. There are four recommendation types provided by the common app, named personal, academic, professional, and high school official. You can take help from the recommender here to submit your recommendation letter.

You can also check the status of your recommendation letter. You can also assign recommendation letters easily to the school to which you are applying for a specific program.

Recommendation letters examples

The recommendation letter on the common app offers key details about the relationship between the applicant and the recommender. A letter of recommendation highlights the positive attributes of applicants. It consists the various attributes, for example.

•  Details on how the recommender knows the applicant for which they are preparing and submitting the recommendation letter
• Salient positive features and qualities of the applicant contribute to success for particular colleges for which they are applying.
•  Anecdotes show the character and competency of the applicant submitting their recommendation letter.

Conclusion

Recommendation letters are one of the most important application components. A letter of recommendation plays an important part in completing a full academic and personal profile. It needs strategic planning. It is suggested to keep proactive and think early to prepare your recommendation letter.

FAQs

Can you use the same letter of recommendation for multiple colleges' common apps?

No, you can not use the same recommendation letter for multiple colleges. Separate recommendation letters are required for every application you submit. Recommenders are usually asked to give recommendations on the basis of the specific program for which you are applying.

Do you have to submit recommendations on Common App?

It has been asked high school officials to upload your final high school transcript. If they do not, you must submit the recommendation letter on your behalf. Every program has requirements for a recommendation letter, so you must work accordingly.

Can you reuse recommendation letters on the common app?

You may require the person who sends the recommendation letter separately every time. The easy way to reuse the recommendation letter is often on the application portal, where the letter is used automatically when you apply for colleges.

When are recommendation letters due for the common app?

Unless your teacher or school sets the policies, you will be asked for your recommendation letter about 4 weeks before the deadline for your colleges. After the deadline, if you are still not provided with the recommendation letter, it will be due for the common app.