For seniors asking for recommendation letters
Brag Sheet Template for Recommendations
Teacher and counselor brag sheets built on Common App's own questions, plus the request, reminder and thank-you emails, so your recommenders can write specific letters.
Common App's brag sheets
What a brag sheet asks, and how to answer
Common App publishes a teacher brag sheet1 and a counselor brag sheet2 for students to give the people writing their recommendations. Your school may hand out its own version. These seven questions take the most thought: the first four are from the teacher sheet, the last three from the counselor sheet.
| Question | Common App's wording | What makes the answer useful |
|---|---|---|
| Why this teacher | “Describe why you have chosen this teacher to write a letter of recommendation for you.” | One real reason, such as feedback that changed how you write. Common App tells letter writers to find out why you asked. |
| A lesson or unit | “Describe a lesson or unit in the class that you enjoyed and why.” | What you did in it and what it changed in how you think, not just that you liked it. |
| A project | “Describe a project you worked on in the class that you are proud of.” | What you made, what went wrong and what you changed. Your teacher can retell that, but not “I worked hard.” |
| One or two qualities | “Select 1 or 2 of these attributes and share an example of a time you demonstrated these characteristics in class.” | The list has 16, including intellectual promise and reaction to setbacks. Pick one or two this teacher saw, and give one moment with a detail. |
| Activities outside school | “List your major activities outside of school. Consider things like clubs, sports, work, community service, hobbies, and family responsibilities.” | The grades you took part in, your role and any results, plus one thing that changed because of you. |
| What shaped you | “What events, experiences and/or people in your life have had the greatest influence on making you the person you are today?” | One experience, told briefly, and what you do differently since. A short story gives your counselor more to work with than a list. |
| Your academic record | “Do you believe your academic record is an accurate reflection of your ability? If not, please explain why.” | If not, a sentence or two on why, sharing only what you're comfortable with. You can also explain it in the Additional information section. |
Questions quoted from Common App's teacher and counselor brag sheets, September 2026 editions. The advice beside them is ours. Checked October 29, 2026.
How it works
How to fill out a brag sheet for a letter of recommendation
Fill out a brag sheet with moments, not adjectives. Common App's teacher brag sheet1 and counselor brag sheet2 both say the more specific your details, the more personal and effective your letter will be. Its guide for letter writers is blunter: “Anecdotes outshine adjectives. Always.3” Two sentences on how a student organized a fundraiser, it says, beat a few generic words about leadership. So for each question, give what happened, what you did and how it turned out.
Your teachers and your counselor write different letters, so give each different material. Teachers write from the classroom, about your curiosity, writing and work habits, says Common App's guide to the recommendation process4. Counselors place you within your whole class and school. Fill out one teacher sheet per teacher, about their class alone, and one counselor sheet about all of high school. Johns Hopkins admissions asks counselors for anecdotes and warns against simply listing activities5. Name the few that matter, and what changed because of you.
Common App advises asking each writer at least three weeks before a deadline4, in person if you can, though email is fine too. Give them the brag sheet when you ask, with every college and deadline on it, then send the invitation from your application. Track each letter in the college application organizer, and send a thank-you once it arrives. To start faster, paste your activities above: River fills in the facts and leaves every class story to you.
How it works
How to use this brag sheet template
Download it or open it in River
Download the three Word documents free, or click Edit with AI for your own copy in River.
Paste your activities
Optional. Paste your activities or résumé. River puts your activities, grade levels, roles and plans into both sheets and leaves brackets for any gaps.
Answer the brackets
Write the class stories only you know: why this teacher, a unit or project, one moment. River can ask one question at a time.
Send, remind, thank
Make a copy for each teacher, send the request email with it attached, remind them two weeks out if needed, then thank them.
Maya Chen
Teacher brag sheet for Ms. Alvarez, AP Physics · example
- Your class
- AP Physics, [the grade you took it in]
- Outside this class
- Robotics club, grades 9 to 12, build lead in grade 12 · weekend phone orders in Cantonese and English at Golden Wok · started a library coding club, 14 kids
- What I hope to study
- Mechanical engineering
- A project I'm proud of
- [A project from AP Physics: what you made, what was hard and how it turned out]
- A moment in class
- [One moment Ms. Alvarez saw that shows initiative or how you handle setbacks]
What you'll get
Teacher and counselor brag sheets, plus the request, reminder and thank-you emails
- A teacher brag sheet to copy for each teacher, built on Common App's own questions
- A counselor brag sheet, also called the senior brag sheet, covering all of high school
- The request email, a reminder two weeks before the deadline and a thank-you
Before and after
Your activities in. Both brag sheets filled.
Maya Chen, senior. Robotics club 9-12, build lead this year, about 10 hrs a week in season, and we made state for the first time. Weekends at my parents' restaurant, Golden Wok, taking phone orders in Cantonese and English. Started a free Scratch coding club at the Elm Street library, 14 kids signed up. Want to study mechanical engineering. Asking Ms. Alvarez (AP Physics) and my counselor, Mr. Reyes.
2. My activities in school Robotics Club · grades 9, 10, 11, 12 · Build lead (grade 12) · Team made state for the first time. 3. My activities outside school Golden Wok, family restaurant · Phone orders in Cantonese and English, weekends · [hours per week]. Scratch coding club, Elm Street Library · Founder · 14 kids signed up · [hours per week]. 4. What shaped me Challenges I've faced inside or outside class, and how I handled them: [Only you can answer this one.]
Facts from your paste fill the tables. Stories, opinions and anything only you know stay in brackets for you to answer.
What lands in your doc
What's inside the brag sheet template
- Teacher Brag Sheet
A thank-you note, then ten sections for one teacher, including why you chose them and a moment they saw. - Counselor Brag Sheet
The senior brag sheet: activities in and out of school, what shaped you, how you learn and your college plans. - Request, Reminder and Thank-You Emails
The request with your brag sheet attached, a reminder two weeks before your deadline, and a thank-you. - Common App's 16 qualities
The qualities colleges consider, listed in the teacher sheet, so you can pick one or two and give a moment. - Activity tables
Your activities in and out of school, with grade levels, role and results, plus hours a week outside school. - A deadlines table
Each college, its plan and its deadline, earliest first, so every teacher knows when the letter is due.
Questions applicants ask
Common questions
What is a brag sheet?
A brag sheet is a short questionnaire about you that you fill out and give to the teachers and counselor writing your college recommendations. It reminds them what you have done and gives them specific moments to retell. Common App publishes teacher and counselor versions, and this template is built on their questions.
What should I put on a brag sheet?
Put specific facts and moments on it, not adjectives. For a teacher: the class, why you chose them, a unit or project, and one moment showing a quality colleges consider. For your counselor: your main activities with grade levels and roles, what shaped you, challenges and plans. Your full list goes in the Common App activities section, which the activities list writer can draft.
What is a senior brag sheet?
A senior brag sheet is the questionnaire you fill out so your school counselor can write your recommendation letter. Because counselors write about you within your whole class and school, it covers all of high school: activities, what shaped you, challenges, plans and colleges. If your school hands out its own version, use that form and copy in your answers from this template.
Do I need a separate brag sheet for each teacher?
Yes. The teacher sheet is about one class, so each teacher needs a copy with their course, a project from their class and a moment they saw. Your activities, plans and deadlines can stay the same on every copy. River can copy your sheet for another teacher, keeping your activities and plans.
When should I give my teachers a brag sheet?
When you ask for the letter, at least three weeks before your first deadline, which is Common App's advice. Ask in person if you can, then send the request email with the brag sheet attached. If your school sets an earlier brag sheet date, meet that one. Send a short reminder two weeks out if the letter isn't in.
Is this brag sheet template free?
Yes. Download the three Word documents with no signup: the teacher brag sheet, the counselor brag sheet and the request, reminder and thank-you emails. Edit with AI opens the same template in a free River workspace, where River can fill in the facts from your activities.
What does Edit with AI do?
It opens the template in a free River workspace. If you paste your activities or résumé first, River fills both sheets with your activities, grade levels, roles and plans. Every class story, opinion and challenge stays in brackets for you. River can then ask you one question at a time, copy the sheet for another teacher or draft your request email.
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