Start with Common App’s official first-year application guide and the recommendation requirements shown for each college in My Colleges. Common App states that every college chooses its own requirements, so one applicant may need different supporter types for different colleges.
Then use the official counselor and recommender resources to distinguish the roles. A counselor submits school forms and transcripts; a teacher submits an academic evaluation; an other recommender offers a non-academic perspective where a college accepts it; an advisor tracks progress but submits no forms.
Check both the supporter type and the assignment step. Common App says students invite and assign teachers to individual colleges, and not every college requires a teacher recommendation or accepts an other recommender. The student requests and monitors the item, but the recommender completes and submits their own evaluation.
Quick route
Check the college requirement first, then invite the person who fits the requested role.
Which Common App source should I use?
| Question | Best source | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| What does each supporter do? | Common App first-year guide | Counselor, teacher, other recommender or advisor |
| What does my college require? | My Colleges and the official college admissions page | Required, optional or not accepted |
| How does a recommender submit? | Common App recommender guide | Invitation, account and form workflow |
| What school material is included? | Common App supporter resources | School Report, transcript and evaluation responsibilities |
What should applicants check immediately?
Build a college-by-college checklist with separate columns for counselor forms, teacher evaluations and other recommendations. “Optional” is not the same as “required”, and an extra letter is not automatically useful. Choose a teacher or other recommender who can provide relevant, firsthand evidence rather than simply the most impressive job title.
Give supporters the correct deadline, enough notice and a concise set of accurate context: intended field, activities, work, responsibilities and anything they directly observed. For Singapore schools, confirm the school’s transcript and counselor workflow early; an internal school date may be earlier than the college deadline displayed in Common App.
Did you know? Common App’s advisor role is for guidance and progress tracking. Advisors do not submit forms, and colleges do not receive advisor information. Do not use that role when a college is asking for a counselor, teacher or other-recommender evaluation.
After inviting someone, verify that the person is assigned to the intended college and monitor the status without asking to control their response. If a school uses an integration partner, follow the school’s instructions because forms may be submitted through that system rather than by a separate Common App invitation.
What is the next useful step?
- Open each college’s live recommendation requirements.
- Confirm the school’s counselor and transcript process.
- Ask suitable supporters early and share the correct deadlines.
- Invite and assign each person under the role the college accepts.
- Track completion and recheck every college before submitting.
Use eduKate’s US university applications from Singapore guide for the wider route, then check which university application documents you need.
Explore the Singapore school pathways collection to connect this task with the wider education route.
Related source guides: Where Can Singapore Students Find UCAS Reference Information?; Where Can Singapore Students Find UCAS Personal Statement Information?; Where Can Singapore Students Find Common App Essay Prompt Information?.
Official sources reviewed: 12 October 2026. Check the linked authority’s current instructions for your application cycle.