The Common Application Some Things for Students and Teachers to Know

The Common Application – Some Things for Students and Teachers to Know

1. Not for Use With All Applications! Many colleges do not use (nor accept) the Common Application (CA). As a general rule, state universities do not accept the Common Application (some examples are TSU, JSU, the U of M), nor do many of the smaller private colleges and universities Ex: (LeMoyne-Owen, Lane); generally, the slightly more selective schools use the Common Application (Ex: Rhodes, CBU, Vanderbilt). Students need to discuss the use of the CA with their Counselor.

2. Use of the Common Application: Student and teacher use of the Common Application is encouraged whenever it is appropriate, mainly if a student plans to apply to two or more schools that use the Common Application. This process can save the student time, it can make life easier for the teacher by making the student recommendation process simpler, and cuts down on paperwork.

3. Apply Online / Recommend Online: Students should complete their part of the CA, then, using the CA site, type in their information on the Teacher Recommendation form, Counselor form, and the other forms, then direct the Common Application to forward the recommendation requests to the appropriate parties . The students have been told repeatedly to give teachers at least 2 – 3 weeks’ notice before any college deadlines, and to provide you with a resume or a copy of their Senior Data Sheet.

4. Teachers’ Corner:

Waiver of Rights to Review: Teachers should make certain that the student has “waived” his / her rights on the recommendation form. The Counselors strongly recommend NOT writing a recommendation for a student who hasn’t waived these rights. It is not ethical for a student or parent to view or review final recommendations.

Teacher recommendations are hugely important in the admission process for students. Teachers should take time to make certain that they have addressed what the colleges ask them to address, a student’s performance in class, how the student stands out from other students, a particular assignment that puts that student over the top, that kind of thing. In short, please ask a Counselor if there are any questions about the Common Application or the recommendation process. The Counselors have examples of GREAT recommendations, the lukewarm variety of recommendations, and the ones that basically say “cannot recommend”. The Counselors have met with hundreds of college representatives and know what colleges look for in a recommendation – please ask us for assistance.

LINK: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx

Thanks, The CHS Counselors