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Olympia High School

Personal excellence and responsible citizenship

Applications and Letters of Recommendation

Applications and Letters of Recommendation

Application FAQs:

 

Steps to Request a Letter of Recommendation

  • If the school does not accept letters of recommendation, DO NOT SEND ONE and DO NOT REQUEST ONE!

    • College recommendation: Does the college have SPECIFICS regarding WHO you should be getting your letter from? Examples:
    • Scholarships: You may need to request a PAPER COPY of this recommendation to submit with scholarship applications or have provide a mailing envelope with address & stamp for recommender to mail to scholarship provider.  *not all recommenders will agree to provide letters for scholarships. 
    • Recommendation or Reference for a JOB or OPPORTUNITY (summer program, job shadow, internship, etc...)

  • A trusted adult who is not a relative, someone who knows you well and can speak to your strengths and character. Start building those relationships early with your teachers, coaches, staff, employers, club advisors, etc....

  • Set up an in-person meeting to discuss your plans and why you would like them to write your letter. Ask if they feel comfortable writing you a strong recommendation. If the answer is no, make sure you have enough time to ask someone else.

     

    • Waive FERPA - What is FERPA? More information on FERPA and waiving your rights.
    • There is NO obligation on the writer to provide the student a copy of the letter. Many prefer to keep their recommendations private. If you have to use this letter for future applications, scholarships, etc., you should request and communicate this intent in ADVANCE.
    • Some teachers receive a lot of requests to write letters of recommendation and they may limit the number of letters they write. The earlier you ask, the better chance you’ll get your first choice of people to write letters.

     

    Formal Written Request Examples:

     

    Request all OSD STAFF Recommendations for Colleges through SCHOOLINKS.

     

    Requesting Recommender Steps here: SchooLinks College Application Manager on page 11-12

     

    Recommenders from outside of OSD?  REQUEST THROUGH COMMON APP or APPLICATION PLATFORM. 

  • MUST provide a recommender at least 2-3 weeks advance notice a month is best. 

    • Dates may vary depending on the college deadline or employment location
    • Use your first deadline as your guide for all requests.  (earliest we have seen is Oct 15th) 
    • If you request LATE, DO NOT EXPECT YOUR RECOMMENDER TO COMMIT!!! 
    • If you request through the platform without advance notice or confirmation, your request WILL BE DECLINED.  

     

    *Example deadline dates to request by & remind/check in by

     

    Deadline Request By Reminder/Check-In
    November 1 October 11-18 October 25
    November 15 October 25-November 1 November 8
    December 1 October 30-November 6 November 19
    December 15 November 12-19 December 9
    January 1 November 27-December 4 December 11
    January 15 December 4-11 January 8
    February 1 January 10-17 January 24

     

  • Gather information about yourself (think of it as a brag book)

    • CREATE a GOOGLE DRIVE SHARED FOLDER Opening in a new window for RECOMMENDERS  (teacher & counselor) 
    • Save your shared folder as YOUR NAME COLLEGE APPLICATION INFO so they can find it easily. 
    • Complete the Brag sheet in SchooLinks: Discuss questions with your recommenders, you may be asked to provide additional information.  
    • Share your RESUME: Current, error free with  your achievements, accomplishments & accolades
       

    Some other items to consider sharing to help write your writer prepare your letter of recommendation:

    • College Essay - provide a link to the document on a google doc
    • Planning Chart: List of schools/programs you plan to apply to with deadline dates
    • Transcript or review of grades/courses 9-11 
    • College Essay Draft Link 
    • Supplemental Information specific to the class you took & work you did
    • Optional: images, videos, academic work, certificates, evaluations, etc..

  • Check back via email or in person with your recommenders to ensure everything is going well, to see if they have questions, and to give them friendly reminders about deadlines. After the recommendation is submitted, SEND A THANK YOU CARD! It is amazing how much this small token of your appreciation is valued. PLEASE keep your educator updated about the results of your college application process.  Also keep in mind these letters can be slightly altered and used for scholarship applications!! Big local private donor scholarship applications open Feb-April.