*This is an archived blog post. For up-to-date information on the Common Application, please go here!

It is important to know that the recommendations that are required by colleges must be written by your teachers. That’s why they are called “TE” – Teacher Evaluations!

Many applicants have asked me if the schools to which they are applying will accept recommendations from ministers, coaches, employers, etc. The Common Application Support System provides an answer: You need to check with the colleges to be certain that they accept these kinds of recommendations.

If they do, you must provide the evaluations on paper and send them to the schools rather than trying to do it through the online application. The questions that are on that recommendation form are designed to learn about your academic progress in a particular class. You can view the Teacher Evaluation forms on the Common Application website.  Find “Download Forms” on the toolbar at the top, and then scroll down to “Teacher Evaluation Only.”