We wanted to remind you about a few things that may help to settle your nerves and/or avoid unnecessary confusion as we get closer to your EA/ED deadlines.
-teacher recs and other school documents do not need to be submitted far in advance of deadlines. The vast majority of colleges and universities will accept these documents on, or even soon after, application deadlines. You have to submit by your deadlines and can submit well in advance if you'd like, but please do not badger your teachers or stress yourselves out if your teachers have not submitted already. Think about it...if you had a paper due on 11/1, and your teachers started demanding that you turn it in a week earlier, you'd be less than pleased with them...and rightfully so :)
Early Action for UMichigan is a fairly unique exception...those teacher recs need to be submitted online prior to Nov. 1, to be safe. But otherwise, please give your teachers the time they need to write their letters.
-you can submit your apps whenever you'd like before your deadlines. You don't need to wait for your teacher recs or anything else.
-supplemental recs typically need to be requested for each college in Common App as an "Other Recommender", or, sent via email. They cannot be submitted via Naviance. Not all colleges will accept supplemental recs, and by definition, they are not a necessary part of the application process. If you have a great supplemental rec provider that adds something new and important to your file, great; but if not, don't worry about it. Also, if you plan on using a supplemental rec, check your college's websites to determine if they will accept such a rec and, if so, how they prefer that it be submitted.
We hope this helps! Remember, if you need help, contact your assigned college counselor...that's what we're here for!
