Recommendations
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Recommendations
The final part of the application is the securing of four recommendation forms. You must get one from your counselor, one from a math teacher, one from a science teacher and one from an additional teacher of your choice.
YOU MAY ASK ANY TEACHER YOU HAVE HAD WITHIN THE LAST THREE GRADE YEARS TO COMPLETE YOR RECOMMENDATION FORM.
In other words, anyone you were instructed by in the eight, ninth or tenth grades may complete the recommendation forms for you.
You may present the recommendation forms to your teachers either by hardcopy or electronically.
If you choose to give them a hardcopy then they need only fill out the form and return it to us sealed. This can be accomplished by faxing it from the school to us or by putting it into a sealed envelope and mailing it to us. Many students when they give the recommendation form to their teacher also give them an addressed and stamped envelope as well.
If you go the electronic route, you need only punch in your teachers' email addresses and the forms will automatically be sent to them. Please understand that some school servers will kick-out emails they do not recognize and sometimes our emails end up in spam folders.
IT IS UP TO YOU ENTIRELY TO BE SURE YOUR TEACHERS HAVE RECEIVED THEIR COPY OF THE FORM.
The recommendation forms are designed to take up as little of your teachers' time as possible, and while they may write you a formal letter of recommendation if they so wish, doing so will not increase your chances of acceptance to the school.
A few common questions about recommendations:
1. My counselor barely knows me, do I have to give him/her a form?
Yes. The rules require you have a recommendation form from your counselor. We understand not every student is best friends with their guidance counselor, and how easy it is to get lost in the mix (especially in a larger school).
2. Does my Additional Teacher have to be a math or science teacher?
Nope. The only rule is he or she must be a teacher you've had in the past three years. It could be anyone from a coach to a band teacher.
3. I just started at this school and my teachers don't know me very well. Can I ask a teacher from a different school I attended to fill these out?
Of course you can. That's why we allow you to use any teacher you've had in the past three years, regardless of what school they are currently based.
Also remember that teachers are human beings, and sometimes, human beings forget to do things. You might not be the most important person in your teachers' lives at any given moment, so do your own due diligence and check back in with them after you drop off your recommendations. This is doubly true if you submit your recommendations electronically. Sending an email and never checking with your teacher to make sure he or she received the forms is a bad idea. Finally, be smart and give us a call or shoot me an email to see whether the forms made it to us here at MSMS.