Importance of recommendations?

navy2016

5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2009
Messages
609
How important are recommendations?

Even though I am only a junior, I have realized that all SA's along with major colleges and university require them.
I really doubt a teacher would give a student a bad or negative recommendation; however, how does a recommendation stand out above others?

Scenario:
From a past application experience, I had a teacher that completed like 10 applications the day before we needed them. I gave her mine like 9 week earlier and find it disappointing to know that she did them in a bulk manner. As for the results, 7 students (not including myself) were accepted.
On the other hand, I did have two other teachers that did mine within a week of my request (I have high confidence in these two providing quality recommendations).

I am not trying to imply that all teachers do not care about recommendations but I do question the level of desire by some teachers to provide a original and custom recommendation for each student.
 
tell your teachers before the end of this school year, so that way, when the CIS portal opens, and you become an official candidate, you can enter their email in, and they can just attach the essay/rec easily over the summer. that way, your whole recommendation part of your file is done before senior year starts, and before that teacher has others to "bulk it up" with.
thats what I did, at least.
 
Recommendations are important! Put it into perspective: Admissions does not know you and is not likely to get to know you personally better than superficially. Your teachers supposedly have the advantage of having observed you for most of at least 9 months. They have seen you in their classroom, observed your study habits, graded your work, observed your interaction with your peers, teachers, etc. They also have been privy to the teacher lounge conversations which may have included you. Other than the BGO interview, the teacher recommendations give Admissions an insight into the candidates' personalities, performance, character, work ethic, etc.
 
Elias15 has an excellent recommendation to avoid becoming one among many lined up for recommendations. I have had several candidates pursue that course of action and it saves them stress and grief when senior year begins and their letters are nowhere in sight.
 
tell your teachers before the end of this school year, so that way, when the CIS portal opens, and you become an official candidate, you can enter their email in, and they can just attach the essay/rec easily over the summer. that way, your whole recommendation part of your file is done before senior year starts, and before that teacher has others to "bulk it up" with.
thats what I did, at least.

Thanks

I will definitely keep this in mind when the time comes in another 7 months.

Another question:

Since I will have been actively participating in scouting for 6 years at that time, would it be a good idea to get a scoutmaster or other adults in scouting that know me to ask for a recommendation from them?

I believe that they can give insight with more information about me outside of academics at school.
 
Thanks

I will definitely keep this in mind when the time comes in another 7 months.

Another question:

Since I will have been actively participating in scouting for 6 years at that time, would it be a good idea to get a scoutmaster or other adults in scouting that know me to ask for a recommendation from them?

I believe that they can give insight with more information about me outside of academics at school.

Yes! Especially if you're an Eagle Scout. The Scoutmasters (past & present) would serve you better to write about your leadership (Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol, Order of the Arrow, etc). This would be easier for Scoutmasters to have details of the service projects you managed to obtain your scouting rank. You do have a scouting resume don't you? :thumb:
 
Yes! Especially if you're an Eagle Scout. The Scoutmasters (past & present) would serve you better to write about your leadership (Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol, Order of the Arrow, etc). This would be easier for Scoutmasters to have details of the service projects you managed to obtain your scouting rank. You do have a scouting resume don't you? :thumb:

Yes, in fact I feel like all of my legitimate leadership credentials are in scouting.

resume:
Life
served as basically everything- now a junior assistant scoutmaster
Second year brotherhood member and second term Chapter Chief


Honestly, if it was not for Scouting and an article about a mid/ Eagle Scout graduating from USNA in Boy's Life magazine, I doubt I would be interested in SA's. That was like 5 years ago and my dream was set on SA's. All of these veterans that served this country and my local council have left a great influence on me.
 
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