Letters of Rec for College Apps

Ask for letters only if you need them since not all colleges require them. Public in-state schools--UW, Western, Central, Eastern, SCC--do not.

Some private colleges require Teacher and/ or Counselor Letters of Recommendation. 

To find out:

• Best way:  check the schools’ websites under Application Requirements and re-check in the fall; 
• In Common App:  at the top right of your Dashboard, view your colleges' Application Requirements.
• In Scoir:  click to a list of a college's application requirements if the college is in your Applying category. 

Ask teachers if they will write you a letter of recommendation. Give your teachers as much lead time as possible, preferably months or several weeks.

Some colleges may also want a Counselor Letter of Recommendation. Since Counselor assignments sometimes change, it is best to ask in the fall of your senior year, giving as much lead time as possible. 

After your teachers say yes—say thank you!—ask if they want a brag sheet/ supporting materials. If they do, see #3. Counselors will want  a brag sheet from you.  

There are two ways to complete the brag sheets. You can either: 

• Use the Google docs linked below
• Fill out the survey(s) in Scoir

Either way, communicate with your recommenders about your method and timing. You should ask AND provide the brag sheet well in advance--preferably several weeks--of your first deadline.  

Google documents (this is what Shorewood staff are used to): 

• Teacher Brag Sheet for Letter of Recommendation
• Counselor Brag Sheet for Letter of Recommendation

Surveys in Scoir (ask your teacher if they are okay with this method): 

• Go to Surveys in your Scoir account to find the brag sheets
• Fill out the appropriate survey(s)
• Let your recommender(s) know that you have completed the survey

FERPA forms give Shorewood and other systems permission to send your materials, and you will waive your right to see the letters and materials sent. Most colleges will not review materials if you have not completed FERPA. 

4a. Complete the FERPA Release and the FERPA Waiver in Scoir. 

You should be prompted to complete the documents. If you are under 18, your parent/ guardian must complete the FERPA Release. All students can complete the FERPA Waiver. Details are explained in the forms. 

4b. Complete the FERPA Waiver in the Common App

Note:  you can only do this step after August 1 of your senior year. 

In your Common App account,

1. Go to the My Colleges tab. (If you have not already added your colleges, do so.)
2. Select any of your schools, then go to the Recommenders and FERPA section. 
3. Under FERPA Release Authorization, click Complete Release Authorization.
4. Read the text on the next screen and click the box to agree. 

Note about FERPA:  Saying yes to the FERPA waiver means that you trust the teachers and will allow Shorewood, Scoir, and the Common App to handle materials, including letters, and send them to the schools on your behalf. You waive your right to preview the letters.

After you complete FERPA in the Common App, the next section is requesting letters. PLEASE FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS in the next step. You may list the teacher in the Common App, but DO NOT list their email address! You will make the letter request in Scoir, NOT in the Common App. 

You will request letters via the My Colleges page in Scoir. This request will create the portal for your teacher to upload their letter for you. 

For detailed instructions including screen shots, see:  Requesting Letters of Recommendation.

Please note that there a couple of slight differences for Shorewood: 

• Teachers will write one letter for all of your colleges; they will not be customized for each college. This is standard across high schools & colleges. 
• If your letter writer is not a Shorewood teacher, read the step below about requesting letters from outside recommenders. We will not be uploading and sending letters that are not from Shorewood or Shorecrest Staff. 

It is up to you to follow up with your Teacher and Counselor

• Monitor Scoir as your deadline approaches. If you can see in Scoir that your letter has not been sent, politely check in with your teacher and/ or counselor. 
• Contact Ms. Stephens to troubleshoot if your teacher uploaded the letter but it does not show up.

Thank your Teacher and Counselor

Letter-writing is done in addition to regular staff duties; they are doing extra for you.

Share your gratitude: 

• Hand write a thank you note after you send your applications. If you need a blank thank you note, stop into the Career Center to choose one from the gratitude bucket. 
• As you hear back from schools and make decisions, keep your recommenders informed. 
• In the spring as you get ready to graduate, thank your recommenders again with a note or gesture. 

Please read carefully...

First, be sure that your desired letter writer 'qualifies' according to your colleges' guidelines. Some colleges want only teachers from core academic subjects. 

If the teacher is a Shorecrest teacher, the steps will be largely the same as those outlined on this page, BUT you will have to notify Ms. Stephens so that she can temporarily add the Shorecrest teacher to the Shorewood roster, and put the Shorecrest teacher in contact with Mrs. Stephens so that they know how to handle the letter on their end. 

If you are using the Common Application and the letter writer does NOT have a Shoreline Schools email address, you have two options. If you are not using the Common Application, follow option #2.

1. Use the Recommenders function in the Common App. It is under each school's supplement under My Colleges. You CANNOT request Shorewood or Shorecrest teachers via the Common App.  
   1. If you use this function, you will probably have to select Arts Teacher or Coach under the options because the Common App knows we are a Naviance school and doesn't think you will be requesting academic letters through the Common App. However, go ahead and select whatever role you can for a professor in the Recommenders tool and then in the Additional Information section, detail who your letter is coming from and where & what they teach. 
   2. If the teacher is now at a different school that uses Naviance, you will need to ask the teacher if they are okay with you using their personal email address. (Using their work email in this situation will freeze their ability to upload any letters via Naviance or the Common App!) 
2. Ask each college how to submit other materials. You should not email a letter yourself or ask your professor/ recommender to figure it out. 
   1. Ask the professor/ recommender well in advance if they will write you a letter. 
   2. Search each college website to see if there is a prescribed method for submitting other materials. 
   3. If you cannot find instructions, email or call the admissions office to get a link or an email address. 
   4. Provide clear instructions to your professor/ recommender. 
   5. Follow up with your professor/ recommender as your deadline approaches. 
   6. Detail somewhere in your application, probably in the extra information section, that admissions should look for the letter from Professor ________(their name) and how it will be coming to them. 
   7. Thank your recommender! 

Want tips for getting great letters?

Ask teachers who know you well. You do not have to be getting an A in the class. 

Colleges generally want letters from teachers of core subjects (English, Math, Science, Social Studies) for the required number of letters. If a college requires two letters, then ask core teachers for those two. If a college requires one letter but will take two, you could ask a core teacher for the one letter and use a non core teacher (language, music, art, elective) for the other letter. 

That is relevant. If you are applying as a direct admit to an engineering program, you should include at least one STEM teacher. If you are applying to a music conservatory, you should include at least one music teacher. Feel free to ask college representatives for the colleges' preferences for questions at this level, because the answers may vary from school to school.

No. If a college requires two letters but will take up to four, they will not devalue your application if you provide two. Unless the recommender will provide a truly distinct perspective, then you need not provide extra letters. 

Yes, if you are willing to do a bit of extra work. 

See Letter Writer Isn't a Shorewood Teacher above. 

If the recommender is a Shorecrest teacher, we can do the same procedure in general, but if the teacher works at a middle or elementary school, you will have to go through the process outlined in the headline above. 

If your teacher is retired, teaches out of district, or is one of your professors for a Running Start class, you will have to do some legwork. See the options in the headline above. 

There are two common problems in the letter procedure:  

1. Teachers may not have heard from you confirming either:  that you need the letter; or the timing desired. It is up to you to communicate these details. Please understand that teacher and counselors are swamped and it takes time to get to these extra tasks.

2. Teachers may have uploaded but not sent the letters. Teachers are asked to not only upload, but also electronically send the letters so that the letters are an arrangement between the student, the teacher, and the college (not with the rest of the Shorewood staff). Sometimes glitches prevent the teacher from sending. Teachers can ask  Mrs. Stephens for assistance. 

You cannot, unless the teacher chooses to provide you with a copy. (Do not ask the teacher for it!)

The FERPA waiver that you sign when you set up the application systems in Scoir and the Common App says that you waive your right to see the letters. This step is regarded as the standard, since it shows integrity on your part. Colleges will not trust and usually will not accept letters that may have been screened by the student. 

Scholarships often ask for letters of recommendation. 

If you already asked a teacher counselor for a letter for college applications, ask the teacher if they would be willing to repurpose their letters for your scholarship application. Please give them plenty of notice since they will have to revise the letter. Also provide them with information about the scholarship:  the organization, selection criteria, deadline, and any other pertinent details. 

Scholarships vary in how they wish the letters to be submitted. Remember that it is Shorewood policy that letters NOT be shared directly with students.

It is up to you to provide the letter writer with clear instructions about how to submit their letter.  It could be:  

• an online portal; 
• an email address for the letter writer to send a letter directly to the organization;
• a hard copy of a letter inside a sealed envelope (which you DO NOT open)  which you put intact in a larger envelope with your printed materials to snail mail to the organization. 

If you do not already have letters for college applications, then ask for a letter several weeks in advance and ask if they would like you to fill out a brag sheet (look on the top right of this page). If they would, make a copy of the document, type the answers, and share your document or email it to the teacher. Also be sure they know the scholarship deadline. 

Thank your teacher for the letters!