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Requesting a Letter of Recommendation

Letter of Recommendation 2024-2025

Letters of recommendation are an important part of many college and scholarship applications. This page will give you all the information you need to initiate this process with your counselor and your teachers. 

Many college and scholarship applications require one or more letters of recommendation from teachers and a letter of recommendation from your counselor. If you are reading this before your senior year, keep this in mind. It’s important for your counselor and your teachers to get to know you so they can write the strongest letters possible.

How do I request letters of recommendation? 

1. First, identify whether you need letters of recommendation or not. Many schools (like Oregon State University and University of Oregon) do not require letters and will not review them while assessing your application. Because our teachers receive so many letter requests, we try to avoid “just in case” letters. If you realize you will need a letter of recommendation for a scholarship or college application, we need to give teachers three weeks of time before the due date, so it’s important not to procrastinate this process.

2. Ask the teacher, coach or mentor they would like to write letters for them to see if they are willing.

3. Students will complete the Letter of Recommendation Reflection Sheet and send it directly to the teacher(s) who have agreed to complete the letter. Email [email protected] for a fillable copy to be sent to you.

4. Students will add their teacher(s) to Major Clarity, which will generate a link that will be sent to the teacher(s). The letter deadline will be on Major Clarity and on the reflection sheet.

5. Teachers will upload their letter directly to Major Clarity.

6. Contact your counselor or Cliff Kirkpatrick in the Career Center to set up a College Appointment.

7. At your college appointment, you’ll be able to discuss which teachers you are hoping will write you letters and talk about your application deadlines.

8. Your counselor will work with the Career Center (Cliff Kirkpatrick) to distribute your Letter of Recommendation Packet plus your transcript (and any other supporting materials) to your teachers. We will also let your teachers know about the earliest deadline.

9. You will invite your teachers (and counselor) to be recommenders on Common App, Coalition, or the college’s application webpage. Teachers will upload their letters directly to the appropriate website and provide the Counseling Center with a copy of the letter for future use.