another question about recommenders

[Anonymous]

My DC wants to ask someone not associated with school to write a letter for him (someone he has worked for during summers). How does this work with the Common App? Should DC give addressed envelopes to the recommender and ask her to mail the letters directly to the colleges? Seems like they might easliy get lost since they would be separate from the electronic files. Can the letter be given to a college counselor to upload so that it remains confidential? Sorry for the dumb question. We haven't navigated the Common App yet, but DC needs to ask for this letter before the summer is over. Thanks for any advice.

[Anonymous]

OP,
What kind of job was this, and how many summers did the job involve? Would the person agree to write a letter after DC spoke to his college counselor?

[Anonymous]

3 summers so far. Working with animals at an animal hospital. DC wants to be a vet so it is relevant to career goals. DC thinks the supervisor would be glad to write a letter. Seems like it would be more helpful than another letter from a teacher (he can get those too). But what if it was not a career focused job (for example a restaurant or retail job or a camp counselor), would that matter if the supervisor knew the student well and was enthusiastic? We just thought someone who could talk about DC's maturity, responsibility, etc. outside of school would add another dimension to the application. Is this a bad idea?

[Anonymous]

I think it's a fabulous idea if the institution he's applying to has an animal husbandry or pre-vet school, like Virginia Tech. If not, I still think it would be a good idea but only if the supervisor (hopefully owner?) would be enthusiastic, write on letterhead and be willing to say your son is the most responsible kid he's ever worked with and really wants to be a vet. then yes. But if the letter is fromo a mid-level associate and not enthusiastic and kiddo is applying to a SLAC, then no.