Dear Students and Parents,

Seniors who will be applying to private universities are required to provide letters of recommendation as part of
the application process. UC and CSU campuses do not require a letter of recommendation. In order to help
facilitate the large number of requests for letters of recommendation, the counseling staff requests that students
follow the directions in this packet to assist us in the process.
Sincerely,
DeAnne Andrews, Merri Blum and Lindsay Rotter
Please use this checklist to ensure that you have all of the necessary items needed for your letter of
recommendation to be completed on time. The deadlines for the following items are: Monday, October 1st for
Early Decision or Monday, October 15th for Regular Decision. These deadlines are firm, and there are no
exceptions. Senior Profiles turned in after these dates will not be processed by the counseling department due to
the high volume of seniors applying to private universities.
Follow these Steps:
Obtain Private School Applications (10 Colleges Total- This includes a maximum of 5 Non-Common App
Schools) Create your personal account and follow the deadlines that are set for students applying.
Most applications are available online through the Common Application website: www.commonapp.org
Secondary School Report- Part of the private school application includes a counselor report. Please
use this information to fill out the application: Log onto your personal account, and sent the email
invitation to your counselor by the deadlines of Monday, October 1st for ED and Monday, October
15th for RD for all colleges that are part of the Common Application Online.
~You may list no more than 10 colleges on the SSR. For those colleges that are Non-Common App colleges (such
as MIT), you will need to print the hard copy of the SSR and complete it by hand, and then give to Mrs. Faust.
Please see directions below regarding Non-Common Application Schools.
Counselors Name: Submit YOUR counselors name: DeAnne Andrews (A-I) Merri Blum (J-P) Lindsay Rotter (Q-Z)
Title: Counselor
School: Mission San Jose High School
Address: 41717 Palm Avenue/ Fremont/ CA/ 94539
Phone: 510-657-3600 Fax: 510-657-2302
Secondary School Code: 050970
Counselors email: Submit YOUR counselors email: dandrews@fremont.k12.ca.us, mblum@fremont.k12.ca.us,
lrotter@fremont.k12.ca.us

You must fill in your senior class schedule for both Fall and Spring semester!

For Mrs. Faust:

Non-Common Application Schools (5 Maximum) Download and print from individual college
website
Step 1: Fill in the information for the Secondary School Report
Step 2: Print the report (Turn in to Mrs. Faust by deadline)
Step 3: Supply a 9X12 Envelope for each application
Step 4: Address the envelopes for each university using the respective Office of Admissions addresses
Step 5: Affix 3 stamps in the upper right corner of the envelope
Step 6: Leave the return address (left corner) blank
Step 7: Include these applications & envelopes with your senior profile to Mrs. Faust
You are only submitting the hard copy Secondary School Reports for Non-Common App Colleges (i.e.
MIT)
Copy of your SAT/ ACT Score Report
If you have not yet taken the SAT/ACT, you need to register for the earliest available date. Most colleges
require one of these scores as part of their evaluation. Registration materials for all tests are available
online. Please include a copy of your scores in the packet that you give Mrs. Faust.

Private School Student/ Teacher Agreement with signatures

Scroll down to find this document.
This must be included in your packet to Mrs. Faust.

Senior Profile
Scroll down to find an outline of the senior profile after this checklist.
Please type your responses.
Please be specific and concise with your answers.
Turn in your completed profiled by the deadline to Mrs. Faust

Order your transcripts through: www.parchment.com and follow the directions online. Refer to our
school website for further instructions: www.msjhs.org

For Your Teachers:

The following instructions are provided for your use when asking teachers for letters of
recommendation:

Obtain the requirements for each college to which you are applying, then:
Check with your teacher to see if he/ she has any required documents for writing a letter. If not, make a
copy of the senior profile for your teachers
Make your request personally.
Provide the teacher with a stamped, business-size envelope with the Office of Admissions address for each
paper recommendations (only necessary for teachers who are NOT using Common Application Online).
Follow up with a thank-you note after the letter is written.
You may only ask 2 teachers to submit letters of recommendation for all of the colleges that you are
applying to.
Follow the prompts on Common Application Online with respect to asking teachers for online
recommendations. Log onto your account, and send the teacher the email invitation by the same office
deadlines: October 1st for Early Decision and October 15th for Regular Decision.

MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL

SENIOR PROFILE
Please complete the student section and have your parent(s) complete the Parent Brag Sheet. All students applying for
Early Decision must submit this profile by Monday, October 1, 2012. The deadline to submit this senior profile for
Regular Decision is Monday, October 15, 2012. Any senior profiles submitted after October 15 will not be
accommodated.
Student name _____________________________ Student Number _______________
Email Address __________________________________________________________
Reasoning Test Verbal ______Math______
Subject Tests - _________

__________

Writing _______ Total ___________

___________ __________

ACT - m ______ w ______ cr ______ sc ______ e ______ comp ______

AP tests - test ____score_____ test _____ score_____ test_____ score_____
Overall GPA _______

if known, weighted GPA _______

List courses you are scheduled to take senior year at Mission.

1. ___________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________
List courses that you have taken at outside institutions (i.e. Ohlone, ATDP, or any college for which you have an
official transcript).
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
Personal Reflections: Please answer the following questions as thoroughly as possible. This information will be
used when writing your college recommendation letter so please be very specific. We read hundreds of these
profiles every year, so include examples and details that will set you apart from your peers. Please type your
response and try to stay within the lines provided.
List 3-5 adjectives that best describe you. Describe who you are and what distinguishes you from your peers.
1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Describe one thing that has been your most rewarding experience (academic accomplishment, extracurricular
activity, volunteer activity, project, etc.) in the past few years? What did you gain or learn from it? What did you
find most meaningful about this experience and how did it shape you? Please share the experience for which you
have the most passion, why you chose it, and highlight the key points.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
What do you feel has been your greatest contribution to Mission San Jose High School? List all involvement, no
matter how big or small. Your list can include club involvement, student body involvement, or other organization
contributions and participation.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you feel that your academic record is a true assessment of your ability? If your grades are not an accurate
reflection of your potential, please share the reason with us. Describe an unusual or atypical circumstance that
may have compromised your academic performance, if applicable.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
List below the colleges currently on your college search list? Why have you chosen these schools?
1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Are you applying to colleges that match your academic profile? Consider the G.P.A. and SAT averages for every
college, and indicate your safety, likely, and reach choices. Safety colleges are those for which you have the most
likelihood of being admitted, based on the information posted on the individual universitys website. Likely
colleges are those for which you have a good chance of being admitted, but you may not necessarily be accepted
to. Reach colleges are those for which you have a very low likelihood of being admitted, and this list should be
your shortest one. It is advisable to only list a few reach colleges. S=Safety L=Likely R=Reach (Maximum is 10)
1.__________________________________
2.__________________________________
3.__________________________________
4.__________________________________
5.__________________________________

6._________________________________
7._________________________________
8._________________________________
9._________________________________
10._________________________________

What is your intended major/ career goal? If you dont have one, what is your biggest strength and what subject do
you enjoy in school most? Please share with us why you enjoy learning about that particular subject.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please share any unusual adversity or obstacle that you have overcome in your life.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you could share one thing with a college admissions officer during an interview, what would it be? Think about
what you have to offer the college, not what the college has to offer you.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Describe a time that you took the initiative for something. This could include anything from starting a club to
securing an internship. Colleges value students who have leadership skills, and we want to know how you have
demonstrated this quality, in any way whatsoever.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Talk about how you have tied your passion to what you have learned in school. Discuss how you have invested
your time, and why that was important to you.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY RECORD GRADES 9-12

Grade/Year

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Extracurricular
Activities (Sports,
Clubs, etc.)

Volunteer, Community, Offices Held and

Internship,Employment, Honors/Awards
and Summer Activities

Academic
Enrichment
Programs

Mission San Jose High School Parent/Guardian Brag Sheet

Name of Student: ___________________________________________________
Discuss any personal growth you have noticed in your child since entering high school. What would you say has been
his/her greatest challenge? Please cite any specific examples.
What are some characteristics or accomplishments of your child that you take great pride in?
What does your son/daughter enjoy learning about? Have certain subjects and/ or teachers been common topics at the
dinner table?
What does your child enjoy most and least about high school?
In what ways is your child a leader or a follower?
Does your child possess a talent or skill in anything that he/she has participated in for one or more years? If yes, please
describe the talent, activity and length of time involved.
Does your child have any unique interests or hobbies that he/she has participated in outside of school? If yes, describe the
interest/hobby and length of time involved.
Are there any personal, emotional or social issues that have interfered with your childs academic achievement in high
school? Please explain.
Does your child have any diagnosed learning disorders, medical conditions or special needs? If so, when was your student
diagnosed and is he/she receiving any accommodations?
What kind of college environment do you feel would best suit your sons/ daughters needs and abilities at this time?
Is your child applying to colleges that best match his/ her academic profile?
Is there anything else we should know about you, your child or your family? Please use the space below to let us know if
there is any other information you would like your childs counselor to be aware of, learn, know or understand.

_________________________________

_______________________________

Parent/Guardian Name (please print)

Parent/Guardian Signature

PRIVATE SCHOOL AGREEMENT

Mission San Jose High School allows seniors to apply to a maximum of ten private universities. This
number can consist of ten common application members, but has a cap of five non-common app. universities. Therefore,
if a student chooses to apply to five universities that are non-common app members, the other five universities must be
common application members.
Name: _______________________ Student ID # __________________
List your student e-mail address here if you are using Common Application:
_____________________________________________
The following documents are due to Mrs. Jean Faust in the Main Office:
The Private School Agreement (2 pages)

Student/Teacher Letter of Recommendation Agreement by the following firm deadlines:

Regular Decision: October 1st, 2012
Early Decision: October 15th, 2012
If you are applying Early Decision or Early Action, please circle the university to denote the early
program to which you are applying.
List all colleges to which you are applying that are Common Application Members: (Only list all ten if they
are all common app members ~this is our cap)
1. ____________/Due Date: _____ 2. ______________/Due Date: ____
3. ____________/Due Date: _____ 4. ______________/Due Date: ____
5. ____________/Due Date: _____ 6. ______________/Due Date: ____
7. ____________/ Due Date:_____ 8. ______________/Due Date: ____
9. ____________/ Due Date: _____ 10. ______________/Due Date: ____
CAO~ONLINE TEACHER/COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Teachers/Counselors will submit letters of recommendation and all required forms through the Common Application
Online School Forms System for all Common Application Members.
Supply 2 teachers and Mrs. Faust (who will submit to your counselor) with the following information:
Ask 2 teachers to sign the Student/Teacher Letter of Recommendation Agreement. Teachers will
sign the agreement for online and paper recommendations.
Send 2 teachers and your counselor the email invitation from: www.commonapp.org by the
October 1st Early Decision Deadline and the October 15th Regular Decision Deadline. List your
teachers and your counselor with their full e-mail addresses on your common application if they agree to send
their letter of recommendation/forms on your behalf to the Common Application electronically. Once they agree
to recommend you, you MUST complete your senior course schedule on Common App before you send the email
invitation.
Senior Profile: Available on our website: www.msjhs.org in paper form. Make sure this is completely filled
out to the best of your ability. You will need a total of 3 copies of your Senior Profile to be passed to
these 3 individuals:
(2 teachers and Mrs. Faust) Mrs. Faust will accept this on the counselors behalf and submit to
your counselor who will then recommend you).
Teacher Evaluation: Teachers will complete the Teacher Evaluation following their written agreement with
each student. Teachers will receive the email invitation, complete the Teacher Evaluation and letter of
recommendation, and submit online. By sending the email invitation to your 2 teachers, you are done with this
step.
Secondary School Report: All Counselors will complete all letters of recommendation and the required SSRs
through Common Application Online. Send your Counselor the email invitation, as counselor recommendations
are automatic and do not require a signature or permission. You MUST complete your senior course schedule on
Common App before you send the email invitation to your counselor! By sending the invitation to your counselor,
you are done with this step.

PRIVATE SCHOOL AGREEMENT (2)

PAPER RECOMMENDATION INSTRUCTIONS:

You will only supply envelopes if your teacher is submitting letters through paper submission: If your teacher
chooses to send letters for your Common App schools through postal mail, please supply a business size (9 X 4)
first-class stamped envelope(s) that is self-addressed with correct postage. (Include the name/address of the
university and leave the return address blank. Include one forever stamp for U.S. Mail.) Supply all ten envelopes if
your teachers are mailing recommendations, and you are applying to the cap of 10 common app schools. Teacher
recommendations are mailed separately from counselor recommendations, and teacher recs are sent directly to
the college(s).
You can download the Teacher Evaluation from the Common Application website and print it for your teacher(s)
who will complete the form by paper and mail it directly to the college(s) to which you are applying. If you have
ten universities that are Common App members, you will need to supply the teacher with ten Teacher Evaluation
forms.

NON-COMMON APPLICATION TEACHER/COUNSELOR INSTRUCTIONS:

If you are applying Early Decision or Early Action, please circle the university to denote the early
program to which you are applying.
List all colleges to which you are applying that are Non-Common Application Members: You may only apply
to a Cap or Maximum of 5 Non-Common Apps:
1. ___________ Due Date: _____ 2. ____________ Due Date: ______
3. ___________ Due Date: _____ 4. ____________ Due Date: ______
5. ___________ Due Date: _____
(Please indicate by writing in the word online next to the Non-Common App institution if they require an online
recommendation. If you know that a school requires online, you will not need to supply envelopes to mail
recommendations. It is your responsibility to make sure the link is sent to your teacher and counselor from the noncommon app college that requires online recs.)
Teachers/Counselors will submit recommendations for Non-Common Application members through
paper submission. Supply your 2 teachers and Mrs. Faust with the appropriate forms/envelopes: All
forms must be downloaded & printed:
Student/Teacher Letter of Recommendation Agreement (if you already supplied this because you
are applying to Common App, skip this step.)
Private School Agreement (if you submitted for Common App, skip this step)
Senior Profile (available on our website: www.msjhs.org) in paper form ~if you have already submitted a
Senior Profile to these individuals for Common Application institution members, you do not need to do so again.
Skip this step.
Teacher Report Form from the universitys website. One form per college.
Counselor Report Form from the universitys website. One form per college.
Business size (9 x 4) first-class stamped envelope(s) that are self-addressed with correct postage
for each teacher. Include the name/address of the university and leave the return address blank. (Include one
stamp for the U.S. Mail.) Supply five envelopes if you are applying to our cap of five non-common app member
schools for each teacher.
Supply a 9 x 12 Envelope for each Non-Common App school, along with the Senior Profile, Private School
Agreement, & Student/Teacher Letter of Recommendation Agreement to Mrs. Faust by the below deadlines
so that Counselors can send your paper recommendations to your Non-Common App institutions. You have a
cap of five Non-Common App schools!
Submit this entire Private School Agreement Form, (2 pages) to Mrs. Faust as a Cover Sheet to your
Senior Profile by October 1st for the ED Deadline and by October 15th for the RD Deadline.
Missing information will result in a severe processing delay, which could result in missed due date for
your university deadline.
~If you do not turn in a Senior Profile, you will not receive a Letter of Recommendation from any
teacher or from your counselor.

STUDENT/TEACHER LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION AGREEMENT

Students are responsible for obtaining teacher signatures for all teachers that have agreed to write a letter of
recommendation for your private school applications. You may only send the email invitation from
your Common Application account to a teacher if s/he has AGREED to recommend you. Please
obtain the teachers email address and send the email invitation through www.commonapp.org
IMMEDIATELY following the teachers signature on the Student/Teacher Letter of Recommendation
Agreement Form. You must enter your senior schedule on your Common Application account before sending it
to your teacher/counselor.
The Email Invitation, Private School Agreement and Student/Teacher Letter of
Recommendation Agreement must be turned into Mrs. Faust by the following firm deadlines:
October 1st, 2012: Deadline for Early Decision Applications.
October 15, 2012: Deadline for Regular Decision Applications.
Student: ____________________________________ ____________
Student Name/Mission San Jose School ID #
Common App #
Name of Teacher: ______________________
Print Name
Teacher 1: ______________________________ _________________
Teacher Signature
Date
I agree to recommend the above student for his/her applications to the colleges listed on the Private School
Agreement and/or listed on the Private School Student Information Sheet.
By checking this box, I plan to submit my letter of recommendation/forms online through:
https://schoolforms.commonapp.org _____ OR by postal mail _____
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Student: ____________________________________ ____________
Student Name/Mission San Jose School ID #
Common App #
Name of Teacher: ______________________
Print Name
Teacher 2: ______________________________ _________________
Teacher Signature
Date
By checking this box, I plan to submit my letter of recommendation/forms online through:
https://schoolforms.commonapp.org _____ OR by postal mail_____
I agree to recommend the above student for his/her applications to the colleges listed on the Private School
Agreement and/or listed on the Private School Student Information Sheet.
Submit this Student/Teacher Letter of Recommendation Agreement to Mrs. Faust as a Cover Sheet to
your Senior Profile by October 1st for the ED Deadline and by October 15th for the RD Deadline. Make a
copy for your own records, please.
Missing information will result in a severe processing delay, which could result in a missed due date
for your university deadline.
~If you do not turn in a Senior Profile, you will not receive a Letter of Recommendation from any
teacher or from your counselor.
Please supply a copy of the Private School Student Information Sheet to each teacher who requests it.
This can be downloaded from our school site at: www.msjhs.org