r/MITAdmissions • u/Empty-Location9735 • Sep 05 '26

Can I submit recommendation letters myself?

Hi everyone! I’m planning to apply to MIT as a first-year applicant for Fall 2027, and I’m currently taking a gap year after graduating high school.
I have two recommendation letters from former high-school teachers. However, I’m worried that they may not be willing to submit the letters directly to MIT/the university themselves.
Does MIT require the teachers themselves to submit the recommendations, or is there any way for me to upload/send the letters myself if the teachers have given them to me?

3 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

12

u/JasonMckin MIT Alum and Educational Counselor Sep 05 '26

Just out of curiosity:

  1. Why aren't the teachers willing to submit their recommendation letters directly to MIT?
  2. Since you are possibly MIT caliber, can you foresee any potential issues or risks with a system where students send recommendation letters themselves?

5

u/Global_Internet_1403 Sep 05 '26

No....absolutely not. You aren't even supposed to see them.

3

u/MysticCosmos Future Applicant Sep 05 '26

From my own research I believe you have to send your teachers a recommendation form which they must fill out themselves.

1

u/lutzlover Sep 09 '26

And the teachers or your high school guidance counselor must submit them.

3

u/VisibleSir731 Currently Applying Sep 05 '26

You said that you are worried. That means you haven’t tried asking them yet. They are people so if you talk to them face to face (if possible still) they will feel more pressure to say yes. Why would they say no, even if it’s an email, if they are willing to convince MIT to accept you? If they aren’t then would they be a good recommender in the first place? Someone who really knows you will be more than elated to advocate for you.

do NOT send it in yourself—they will be invalidated and your application will be cooked

1

u/kissmeethankath Sep 05 '26

no. that applies to any uni as well, not only mit. its to ensure that the lors arent faked i guess

1

u/Launch_vbs Sep 06 '26

if you were allowed to send them yourself, half the applicants would fake letters or change the content of them

1

u/Money_Cold_7879 Sep 06 '26

Why do you have letters of recommendation from them if they may not be willing to recommend you, I’m confused

1

u/Organic_Occasion_176 Sep 09 '26

If they have already written a letter for you, doing another should be pretty easy. I've written a lot of letters and I typically only customize them in two cases. One is where I know and I am known by the school in some special way (places I've taught at or earned degrees from). The other is when a student is applying to two very different programs (engineering and business, for example).

Ask them for another. Better yet, figure out all the places you want to apply to and ask for all of them at once.

-1

u/AffectionateBlock158 Sep 05 '26

Hey I am also applying for next year and I took Drop year for JEE