Letters of Recommendation

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hambam

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Jun 22, 2019
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Hello all,

I contacted my Congressman's office, CA-15, about how to submit letters of recommendation, but all I got as a response when an obvious generic response for people applying for nominations and a link that redirected me back to his "seeking a nomination" portion of his website. I am considering calling his office directly, but am concerned that whatever basic intern who answers may not have the information I'm looking for.

On that note, does anyone have knowledge about how letters of recommendation for nominations should be sent in? For example, should my teacher mail it directly to the Congressman's office, and each of my 3 recommenders sends their letter in separately, OR do they send the letters to me and I mail all of the letters at once with the rest of my application packet (application + essays)

Thank you in advance!
 
in our state they are electronic... they get a link once you enter their emails. have you opened an application yet? that may guide you
 
hambam said:
On that note, does anyone have knowledge about how letters of recommendation for nominations should be sent in?
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That will undoubtedly vary by congressperson. Each has their own process. If it's not on the web page (are you missing a link perhaps?) then call the office. Someone there has the info. Which congressperson is the one in question?
 
This is his website
https://swalwell.house.gov/services/military-academy-nominations

It has a checklist that says "all materials should be mailed to the office." The application has nothing about using the recommenders' emails so I don't think that applies here but thanks for the advice.

EDIT: I've poured over the website many times and haven't found much more info on letters of recommendations, so if anyone finds something I would be surprised
 
It seems to me that letters of recommendation would fall under "all materials". But what do I know?
In fact the web page says "return it with all supporting documentation to the District Office". That means the local office in your congressional district.

My God you're failing my friend. Don't make assumptions and please do ask questions when you're unsure, but THINK! This one is pretty obvious. They will not spoon feed you through this process. Good luck on your application. Hope your dreams come true.
 
Well, I did see that, my only concern was the fact that most letters of recommendation are sealed or sent by the recommender to make sure the person being recommended didn't write it themselves. I feel like it's a reasonable assumption, I'm not sure how many recommenders expect the students to be reading the letters they write for them. My apologies if it came across as a dumb question...
 
hambam said:
On that note, does anyone have knowledge about how letters of recommendation for nominations should be sent in?
Click to expand...

This is not to beat up any further on OP. But it is a plea to other applicants who are reading this thread.

The application/nomination process is complicated and stressful. At the same time, it’s really not that hard. It is a test of one’s ability to follow directions, to persevere and to be resourceful. I read the link to the MOC’s website. It was plain as day what is required in terms of letters of recommendation.

So candidates, please: Read carefully, follow the directions, assume nothing. Certainly ask questions if necessary, but know that the SAs and MOCs have been doing this for a very, very long time. (Maybe not individual MOCs, but certainly as a collective institution.) In instructing you through the process, they say what they mean and mean what they say. So get an early start on plebe/doolie summer: Do as you’re told, nothing more and nothing less.
 
hambam said:
Well, I did see that, my only concern was the fact that most letters of recommendation are sealed or sent by the recommender to make sure the person being recommended didn't write it themselves. I feel like it's a reasonable assumption, I'm not sure how many recommenders expect the students to be reading the letters they write for them. My apologies if it came across as a dumb question...
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Sending the letter to the district office in no way implies you will read it, pr have an opportunity to read it. The author could mail it there. They could give it to you in a sealed envelope for you to send it, etc etc.

I did not mean to imply it was a dumb question.. There are no dumb questions, and as I said, when in doubt ask. This was meant as a constructive kick in the pants. My only point is that you could think through this one and will need to be doing similar thinking throughout this process, let alone when you get to an academy. I'd just like to see you start practicing that to hone that skill. Consider their web page your first test. :D

Again, good luck!
 
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