Letter of recommendation advice

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Nytoga330

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DS is a Junior in HS. He wants to get his Junior English and math teachers recommendation and one from his counselor. But if the application doesn’t open til this summer, does he just warn the teachers to look out for the form from Usafa?

We’ve heard the form is more about leadership than his grades. Should DS write a “brag sheet’ and resume for them?

Also, should he ask for an actual letter from them for his congressional nom process now?
 
Nytoga330 said:
DS is a Junior in HS. He wants to get his Junior English and math teachers recommendation and one from his counselor. But if the application doesn’t open til this summer, does he just warn the teachers to look out for the form from Usafa?

We’ve heard the form is more about leadership than his grades. Should DS write a “brag sheet’ and resume for them?

Also, should he ask for an actual letter from them for his congressional nom process now?
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My DS talked with his guidance counselor and math & English teachers about his plans to apply to a SA, ROTC and MOC/Sen nominations before the end of Junior year. He asked them if they would be willing to write recommendations for him and they were happy to help. For the SA & ROTC, he let them know an email would come over the summer, and asked what email they would like it sent to. For MOC/Sen, he provided an envelope they could seal and give back to him before the end of the school year. (Our MOC/Sen ask for the applicant to submit a complete application package which includes three recommendations in sealed envelopes). He also gave them his resume, school transcript w/ ACT & AP scores, and a first draft of his essay. Getting it done before the end of Junior year was huge. Senior year is so busy!
 
Muddydog said:
My DS talked with his guidance counselor and math & English teachers about his plans to apply to a SA, ROTC and MOC/Sen nominations before the end of Junior year. He asked them if they would be willing to write recommendations for him and they were happy to help. For the SA & ROTC, he let them know an email would come over the summer, and asked what email they would like it sent to. For MOC/Sen, he provided an envelope they could seal and give back to him before the end of the school year. (Our MOC/Sen ask for the applicant to submit a complete application package which includes three recommendations in sealed envelopes). He also gave them his resume, school transcript w/ ACT & AP scores, and a first draft of his essay. Getting it done before the end of Junior year was huge. Senior year is so busy!
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School emails have been known to bounce back something their system perceived as spam, so a personal email can be more strategic.
 
Junior year in Apr/May is the ideal time to collect letters of recommendations (LORs) from junior teachers. I advise my students to collect them now and 'hold' them for the nomination applications in the fall. They can also 'coordinate' the direct evaluations for USAFA and the other SAs in the summer, or perhaps Aug/Sep as school restarts, from those same teachers. Other LORs can be collected later from mentors, coaches, CAP commanders, etc., later in the summer as students typically have easier access to these individuals.
 
My son gave his resume to everyone he asked to write a LOR. He also let each of his recommenders know who would be contacting them for the letters and asked them for a good email to reach them during the summer. Best wishes!
 
Muddydog said:
My DS talked with his guidance counselor and math & English teachers about his plans to apply to a SA, ROTC and MOC/Sen nominations before the end of Junior year. He asked them if they would be willing to write recommendations for him and they were happy to help. For the SA & ROTC, he let them know an email would come over the summer, and asked what email they would like it sent to. For MOC/Sen, he provided an envelope they could seal and give back to him before the end of the school year. (Our MOC/Sen ask for the applicant to submit a complete application package which includes three recommendations in sealed envelopes). He also gave them his resume, school transcript w/ ACT & AP scores, and a first draft of his essay. Getting it done before the end of Junior year was huge. Senior year is so busy!
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I'm assuming he would need to ask for multiple copies of these recommendation letters to have on hand for each Senator, US Congressman, SA and ROTC applications?
 
Muddydog said:
My DS talked with his guidance counselor and math & English teachers about his plans to apply to a SA, ROTC and MOC/Sen nominations before the end of Junior year. He asked them if they would be willing to write recommendations for him and they were happy to help. For the SA & ROTC, he let them know an email would come over the summer, and asked what email they would like it sent to. For MOC/Sen, he provided an envelope they could seal and give back to him before the end of the school year. (Our MOC/Sen ask for the applicant to submit a complete application package which includes three recommendations in sealed envelopes). He also gave them his resume, school transcript w/ ACT & AP scores, and a first draft of his essay. Getting it done before the end of Junior year was huge. Senior year is so busy!
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Silly question, but what kind of envelope did he use/ what envelope would you recommend? I'm also requesting Nominations currently, and I'm overthinking the process, but I'd rather be thorough than make silly mistakes😂
 
TheStrawberrySergeant said:
Silly question, but what kind of envelope did he use/ what envelope would you recommend? I'm also requesting Nominations currently, and I'm overthinking the process, but I'd rather be thorough than make silly mistakes😂
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Not silly at all! I just used a standard. Self-sealing business envelope and I had run them through the home computer printer (using Word envelope printer) to label them “Senator Big Wig” “ “Congressman Smith” etc…
 
Check your MOC/senator nomination webpages - two of ours were electronic submission for LOR via inputted email address (similar to SAs), and only one wanted physical paperwork mailed in. For that one, we just had LOR given to my son in a standard sealed envelope.
 
jetski888 said:
Check your MOC/senator nomination webpages - two of ours were electronic submission for LOR via inputted email address (similar to SAs), and only one wanted physical paperwork mailed in. For that one, we just had LOR given to my son in a standard sealed envelope.
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Yes, it seems that many senators use a centralized online system for their nomination application processing. They aren't necessarily looking for hard copy letters of recommendation.

If your student does do a physical letter, it's typical to get it sealed in an envelope, sometimes with a signature across the flap. The student would hand the sealed envelope over with their application. Typically students don't ever read the actual contents of a recommendation letter (though some recommenders will give them a copy).
 
There are different types of recommendations needed.

USAFA requires the academic recommendations: math, English, and science. There is also the opportunity to provide names (2) of those whom you would like to provide a personal recommendation. In the 2023-2024 application cycle, USAFA sent emails with links/directions to each recommender once an email was provided for them in the application.

At the same time you're thinking about those academic and personal recommendations for USAFA, it's good to be considering LORs for your nominating sources - odds are good you will double up in some areas, so request copies addressed specifically to your nominating sources.

My DS solicited LORs from each of the recommendation sources in person, and then followed up via email (which allowed him to provide his resume). DS requested each recommender address several copies of the letter they wrote to our Senators, our Congressman, and "To whom it may concern" for other college applications.

We found the privacy surrounding LORs to be non-existent. DS was expected to upload each letter to nomination portals - one Senator wanted physical copies, but there was no requirement re confidential LORs.
 
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