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Common App

How to Invite Recommenders and your counselor (L. Bell)

Hey there Class of 2021 & their parents/guardians: If seniors are using Common Application as a means to complete their online admissions application, then I wanted to address FERPA and how to invite your counselor, me (Leigh Bell), and teachers/recommenders to complete their portion of Common Application (https://www.commonapp.org/) on behalf of the student.

I’ve had a couple seniors ask me this question about recommenders, so I thought it would be great to explain to everyone since we’re coming up on Fall Break and many seniors may want to consider starting and/or finishing their college applications if they are considering applying to 2-year or 4-year colleges after high school.

FERPA is a law that regulates the privacy of student education records, which could include a student’s application to the college where they may plan to enroll.

Before you can invite me as your counselor and any teachers/recommenders to complete our portion of the Common Application process, you will need to follow these directions:

  1. Go to the My Colleges section of your Common Application
  2. Click on the name of one of your colleges and a drop-down menu will appear
  3. Select the Recommenders and FERPA option
  4. Click on the blue button that says Complete Release Authorization
  5. Once a student completes the Release ONE time, it will apply to all of the colleges in your Common App., so you only need to complete the authorization once.
  6. My advice is for students to waive their right to access because:
    Waiving your right lets colleges know that you do not intend to read your recommendations, which helps reassure colleges that the letters are candid and truthful
  7. I also encourage seniors to ask their teacher/recommenders either in person or by email whether they will have time to write a recommendation for them before you invite them on Common App. Let them know what the various application deadlines are as well in your email to them so that they will be able to prioritize them.
  8. Other tips include sharing a copy of your student data sheet with them via email so that they can extol in their letter about your outside accomplishments as well. Click here for a sample: Sample Student datasheet
  9. After the deadlines, follow up with a thank-you email or physical thank-you note to let your teachers/recommenders know how appreciative you are of their support!
  10. There are some great how-to videos on the Common App website that seniors can access here: https://www.commonapp.org/apply/first-time-students

   
The part about FERPA and authorization is under the section labeled #4. Engage Supporters. There’s a video there to explain and show students how to do the steps above.