Letters of Recommendation

There are two types of recommendations: Teacher & Counselor.

College applicants from SI typically submit two teacher recommendations and one counselor recommendation.

Counselor Recommendations

Counselor recommendations are holistic in nature. The College Counselor will discuss each student's growth (both academic and personal) since the beginning of each student's high school career. This recommendation may also serve to support the student if there is anything which should be explained further or highlighted (low grades due to illness, strong year in a difficult situation, success in a specific subject, activity or anything particularly important to the student). The student’s assigned counselor will write and submit the counselor recommendation.

Teacher Recommendations

Teachers are expected to write about a student’s performance in the classroom. See guidelines below for specific suggestions on whom to select to write your teacher recommendations. Students should request letters from teachers who will have positive things to say about the student's work ethic, level of engagement in the material and performance. In some cases, depending on a student's intended field of study in college, students should request letters from teachers in specific disciplines. If a student is unsure about whom to ask, they are encouraged to discuss this with the College Counselor. To aid the teacher in writing the letter, each student will fill out a Teacher Intake Survey on Family Connection. At least one of the teacher recommendations should be written by a teacher who taught the student during junior year.