College · Family Resources

Ask early, make it easy,
and say thank you.

For each teacher, counselor, coach or employer, note what they have seen you do, when you asked and every place the letter goes. The planner works out how much notice you gave, tracks which letters have arrived and reminds you about the reminder and the thank-you.

Add a recommenderWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the College application season kit, $29 for 16 items.

Recommenders

The worked example is made up: a chemistry teacher asked 20 days before an early action deadline, with no letters in yet, and a counselor whose two letters have arrived. Records save on this device only.

Loading the recommender form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

College · Family Resources$5

What you finish with
A record per recommender with role, subject, what they have seen you do, the date you asked and their answer; each college or program with deadline and whether the letter arrived; six steps; the notice given before the first deadline and letters received; flags for short notice, letters due within a week, a no and a thank-you owed.
Who it is for
High school juniors and seniors, transfer and scholarship applicants, their families, and the counselors who coach them.
Format
Browser planner with a saved record per recommender. Prints a sheet to hand the recommender with your deadlines, every record or a blank planner; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the College application season kit ($29) and the Caveat Suite pass ($299). Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Choose recommenders who have seen your work up close, recently.
  2. Ask in person at least four weeks before the first deadline.
  3. Give them a brag sheet and the list of deadlines; then send the invitations.
  4. Check which letters have arrived; send a polite reminder a week before a deadline.
  5. Send a handwritten thank-you, and tell them where you got in.

Add a recommender

The brag sheet

What goes on a brag sheetA moment from their classThe lab redesign after the first trial failedWhat you want them to speak toPersistence and leading a groupYour plansChemical engineering; why these collegesActivities outside classScience Olympiad, tutoring, part-time jobDeadlines and how to submitA list, with the invitation already sentWhat goes on a brag sheetA moment from their classThe lab redesign after the firsttrial failedWhat you want them to speak toPersistence and leading a groupYour plansChemical engineering; why thesecollegesActivities outside classScience Olympiad, tutoring,part-time jobDeadlines and how to submitA list, with the invitation alreadysent
A teacher writing twenty letters will remember your moment if you remind them of it. That is what the brag sheet is for.

Whom to ask

Colleges usually want letters from teachers of core academic subjects who taught you in junior or senior year, plus your counselor. Pick people who can describe something specific you did. A strong letter from a teacher who knows you beats a short one from a famous name.

The FERPA waiver

Application systems ask whether you waive your right under FERPA to see the letters later. Decide before you invite recommenders; many teachers prefer to write confidential letters, and some colleges give them more weight. It is your choice either way.

Sources

  1. National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). Guidance for students on requesting letters of recommendation (nacacnet.org).
  2. The Common Application. Recommenders and FERPA in the applicant help center (commonapp.org).
  3. U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office. FERPA: waiving access to confidential letters of recommendation (studentprivacy.ed.gov).
  4. Federal Student Aid. Planning timeline for college applications (studentaid.gov).

The worked example is made up. Each college and program sets its own letter requirements. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.