Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 12:13     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:this thread was started - by a snarky commenter no doubt - in the last week of October. and people were posting the day it was due and LOR were still MIA.

I haven't noticed anyone complaining that teachers didn't "jump" in the spring.

I do think they're due when they're due. Anything before that hour is on time. Anything after that hour is really letting kids down.


And the good news is that no one has jumped on this morning to say the letter was actually late. So no one has been let down.

I think it’s pretty generous of teachers to agree to do the letters. And I think it’s highly unlikely that schools are not educating kids and parents on the process, including entering the recommendation requests into Naviance. If people don’t know that’s their fault.


Don't assume that. I'm not going to post an update because there are clearly teachers on here and I don't want to post anything identifying. For all I know, my kid's teacher may be one of them on here.
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 12:04     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kid's teacher still has just over 4 hours, application still not submitted, so I hope she's almost done. Yes, he requested it back in April per our school's policy and yes, followed up as recently as a few days ago. I believe she will get it done, but geez, this is last minute!


Well, you had one student’s application to worry about.

She may have 50 or so students to help, plus her real job and her home obligations on top of that. Just because she hasn’t done yours doesn’t mean she hasn’t been working diligently.


this is part of her read job. if she had too many already, she should have said no
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 12:04     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:Still, it's such a bad look, sets a very bad example for their own students, when a teacher can't manage their tasks.


yeah i bet they have no problem marking the kids down for being late with their assignments
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 12:03     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Only a couple colleges expect everything to be submitted by the deadline. Even Michigan, famous for this, emailed counselors to extend the supporting documents deadline to Monday.

Mountains out of mole hills here.


I agree.

And I’m the teacher who recently posted that I’ll only write letters once they are officially requested, and even that angered someone. There’s really no grace extended to teachers on this thread. It’s like people just want to be angry.


I dont know about that. I think people just want clarity. I assume if a student asks a teacher in junior year and the teacher says yes - BUT there is more to it, that the teachers has expressed those conditions. (ie, "I will happily write you a supporting letter - but I will not do it until you have confirmed this in September by doing x, y, z). if they don't express those conditions, then it's weird.

In my family, if you agree to go to prom with someone, you've agreed to go to prom. there's no backing out, there's not trading up. same for LOR.


Sure. And when students ask me verbally, I verbally respond that I won’t start until I see the request online. They are well aware. Our counseling department repeatedly tells students that teachers often don’t start until the request is online.

Is it that teachers are supposed to jump on these verbal requests in the spring? Because I used to do that, only to find that many students ask multiple teachers and then request only 1-2 in the fall. That means we are writing letters that aren’t used. I don’t think that’s a good use of our time, which is precious.

As someone who has written 100% of the letters I’ve committed to AND as someone who has never submitted late on 22 years, I think I have a pretty good process by now.

I don’t understand the hostility toward teachers that has extended for 20 pages now. I just don’t get it.


You don't get the frustration when teachers don't submit on time?
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 12:02     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still, it's such a bad look, sets a very bad example for their own students, when a teacher can't manage their tasks.


If the teacher submitted by the deadline, then they did manage their tasks.


I think the problem is the teachers aren’t submitting when the parents want it done. It isn’t about letters being late, it’s about them not being done on a parent’s timeline.


I'm a parent here and "my timeline" is the deadline set by the colleges. I think it's reasonable to be concerned and follow up with the teacher has not submitted or even responded by a few days before. You wouldn't?
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 12:01     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Only a couple colleges expect everything to be submitted by the deadline. Even Michigan, famous for this, emailed counselors to extend the supporting documents deadline to Monday.

Mountains out of mole hills here.


This. Such a useless thread.


Yes but if your kid is applying to one of the colleges that do require all materials by the actual deadline, as mine is, it's a very big deal.
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 11:51     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:this thread was started - by a snarky commenter no doubt - in the last week of October. and people were posting the day it was due and LOR were still MIA.

I haven't noticed anyone complaining that teachers didn't "jump" in the spring.

I do think they're due when they're due. Anything before that hour is on time. Anything after that hour is really letting kids down.


And the good news is that no one has jumped on this morning to say the letter was actually late. So no one has been let down.

I think it’s pretty generous of teachers to agree to do the letters. And I think it’s highly unlikely that schools are not educating kids and parents on the process, including entering the recommendation requests into Naviance. If people don’t know that’s their fault.
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 11:48     Subject: Re:Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:I was disappointed that UC schools no longer accept teacher recommendations because my kids had some teachers that they really bonded with in areas they wanted to major. However, the more I read about how awful teacher recs can be, I’m relieved.

1. AOs will read between the lines. A kid is diligent without talking about talent, giftedness etc means they are bland grinders. A teacher not pointing out a kids ability to lead class discussions or stand out will be seen as blah.
2. There were several reviews and studies done that showed the majority carried significant gender and racial bias.
3. A recommendation doesn’t need to be negative to actually be negative.
4. Some teachers use form recommendations.
5. Most have no idea what AOs are really looking to see.



My DS submitted an LOR to his ED school from a teacher who voluntarily offered to do it without seeing his resume or talking with him about it. We thought that the genuine, personal quality of the letter would stand out and help him get admitted and it apparently did.
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 11:45     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
this thread was started - by a snarky commenter no doubt - in the last week of October. and people were posting the day it was due and LOR were still MIA.

I haven't noticed anyone complaining that teachers didn't "jump" in the spring.

I do think they're due when they're due. Anything before that hour is on time. Anything after that hour is really letting kids down.
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 11:39     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still, it's such a bad look, sets a very bad example for their own students, when a teacher can't manage their tasks.


If the teacher submitted by the deadline, then they did manage their tasks.


I think the problem is the teachers aren’t submitting when the parents want it done. It isn’t about letters being late, it’s about them not being done on a parent’s timeline.
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 11:38     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Only a couple colleges expect everything to be submitted by the deadline. Even Michigan, famous for this, emailed counselors to extend the supporting documents deadline to Monday.

Mountains out of mole hills here.


I agree.

And I’m the teacher who recently posted that I’ll only write letters once they are officially requested, and even that angered someone. There’s really no grace extended to teachers on this thread. It’s like people just want to be angry.


I dont know about that. I think people just want clarity. I assume if a student asks a teacher in junior year and the teacher says yes - BUT there is more to it, that the teachers has expressed those conditions. (ie, "I will happily write you a supporting letter - but I will not do it until you have confirmed this in September by doing x, y, z). if they don't express those conditions, then it's weird.

In my family, if you agree to go to prom with someone, you've agreed to go to prom. there's no backing out, there's not trading up. same for LOR.


Sure. And when students ask me verbally, I verbally respond that I won’t start until I see the request online. They are well aware. Our counseling department repeatedly tells students that teachers often don’t start until the request is online.

Is it that teachers are supposed to jump on these verbal requests in the spring? Because I used to do that, only to find that many students ask multiple teachers and then request only 1-2 in the fall. That means we are writing letters that aren’t used. I don’t think that’s a good use of our time, which is precious.

As someone who has written 100% of the letters I’ve committed to AND as someone who has never submitted late on 22 years, I think I have a pretty good process by now.

I don’t understand the hostility toward teachers that has extended for 20 pages now. I just don’t get it.
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 11:06     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:Still, it's such a bad look, sets a very bad example for their own students, when a teacher can't manage their tasks.


If the teacher submitted by the deadline, then they did manage their tasks.
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 10:03     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Still, it's such a bad look, sets a very bad example for their own students, when a teacher can't manage their tasks.
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 09:44     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:Only a couple colleges expect everything to be submitted by the deadline. Even Michigan, famous for this, emailed counselors to extend the supporting documents deadline to Monday.

Mountains out of mole hills here.


UMD wanted them nov 1.

more leeway with RD
Anonymous
Post 11/02/2025 09:41     Subject: Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation
Anonymous wrote:Only a couple colleges expect everything to be submitted by the deadline. Even Michigan, famous for this, emailed counselors to extend the supporting documents deadline to Monday.

Mountains out of mole hills here.


This. Such a useless thread.