College Center » Brag Sheets & Letter of Recommendation

Brag Sheets & Letter of Recommendation

Documents Necessary for a Letter of Recommendation from a Counselor:
 
The following people can provide the counselor letter of recommendation:
Counselors: Mr. Amaya, Mrs. Betancourt-Salazar, Mrs. Canchola, Mrs. Gonzalez r, Mr. Kline, Mr. Lee,  & Ms. Weiss
 
Magnet Coordinators/Coordinators can also write the counselor letter on your behalf:
Ms. Cayen, Ms. Hazard, and Ms. Vallejo

Deadline to request a letter from a counselor: November 1ST
(Or three weeks BEFORE YOUR DEADLINE!)
Reminder: 
Counselors are also off during Thanksgiving break and may not be available to help you until they get back. Don’t forget to give your recommenders your completed brag sheet.
 
Important information
Seniors the FIRST STEP is finding out if you even need letters of recommendation!
1) Do UCs require letters of recommendation- NO
2) Do CSUs require letters of recommendation- NO
3) Do community colleges require letters of recommendation- NO
4) Do out of state, out of country, or private colleges/universities require letters of recommendation-  The MAJORITY of private universities DO REQUIRE Letters of recommendation (LOR). (2 Teacher & 1 Counselor) A magnet coordinator can write your LOR instead of a counselor. 
Steps for Private College Applications that use The Common Application
  1. Complete the Bragsheet (typed not handwritten) The Bragsheet is available on Schoology. Please download it, complete it, save it, and email it to those who are writing on your behalf.
  2. You need teacher comment forms to be completed by 2 teachers who are not writing a recommendation letter for you.
  3. Complete the "Education" portion on the "Common App" Tab. This means you need to enter RCHS information and any other high schools you have attended.
  4. Once you have completed the "Education" portion of your application you need to go to the "My Colleges" tab and complete the "FERPA & Recommenders" section.
  5. FERPA- waive you right to see/view your recommendation letters!
  6. Once you do this step you can now add faculty members' names & emails for your recommendation letters.
  • Example: counselor's name: Ericka Betancourt-Salazar (without the title)
  • You will also need to provide the counselor's/coordinator's  email. Please make sure to get the CORRECT email! This is how your recommenders will get the link to upload your letter on Common App!
"GRADE" SECTION OF THE COMMON APPLICATION
  • Class rank reporting = EXACT
  • GPA Scale reporting= 4
  • GPA weighting = WEIGHTED
"CURRENT OR MOST RECENT YEAR COURSES" SECTION OF THE COMMON APPLICATION
  • Please select the course scheduling system your institution is using.SEMESTER
Make sure you fill in your current classes and the classes you plan to take in the spring on the Courses & Grades section of your application (NOT ALL COLLEGES REQUIRE THIS. You can check whether it is required by clicking on ).
  1. See Schoology resource folder for how to videos and handouts on how to input courses correctly.
MIDYEAR REPORTS
  1. Mid-Year reports are completed online by the end of January. Mrs. Betancourt-Salazar or the Counselor/Magnet Coordinator who wrote for you will send your midyear grades. 
    1. Midyear Transcripts include your Final Fall semester of grades of your senior year.
    2. Your application is not complete until the Midyear report is submitted by Ms. Marquez or the counselor/magnet coordinator who wrote for you.
IMPORTANT: If you add a college please notify your counselor & Ms. Marquez. I DO NOT RECIEVE notifications from NAVIANCE so I will NOT KNOW A NEW COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY WAS ADDED! Communication is key!
College Folder Information

You MUST open a folder in the College Office (DUE TO COVID THIS WILL BE AN ELECTRONIC FOLDER) & complete all paperwork in a timely manner. This will ensure those who are writing on your behalf will have enough time to write a strong letter on your behalf!

College Folder is due September 30th. This means you need to start your folder at least 3 weeks prior to make sure you have time to complete it by the deadline.

College Folder Contents:
  • NAVIANCE- Log onto your Naviance account and Create your "Colleges I'm Applying to" list (watch my "How to video" on how to do this. It is located in the resource folder on the Class of 2022 group)
The below documents can be found on the Class of 2022 Schoology Group resource folder.
  • Bragsheet- This is a document that asks you questions. This must be filled out completely. The more information you provide the stronger your letter of recommendation will be, SO PLEASE PUT EFFORT IN FILLING IT OUT (for your sake)!
  • Teacher Comment Forms- You will need to have 3 teachers complete this form. These 3 teachers CANNOT BE THE SAME TEACHERS THAT ARE WRITING YOUR RECOMMENDATION LETTERS.
Documents Necessary for a Recommendation from a Teacher:
  • A copy of your COMPLETED Brag Sheet.
  • Your teacher may have their own questionnaire they will want you to fill out or they may want to interview you.
  • Request the two teachers who are writing for you to complete their letter online.
  • Teachers will then upload their letter through COMMON APP. 
Don’t forget to write thank you notes to each person who writes for you.
 
PLEASE GO TO THE CLASS OF 2024 RESOURCE FOLDER FOR: Bragsheet, Steps for Bragsheet, Teacher Comment Form, & College Summary Sheet