Overview
The main screen gives a snapshot of all your recommendation request from students.
Student: Sort the students assigned to you by their Name.
Graduation Year: You can see the students graduation year.
Next Deadline: Refers to the next deadline of the student's application.
Survey: Check with your counselling team to see if your school will use this feature.
Uploaded Recommendation & Forms: This column will show whether or not you have uploaded a recommendation for the student or filled out a Common App teacher or Counsellor form.
CA Linked: This column will indicate whether or not the student has already linked their Common App account with Cialfo.
FERPA - It is advisable for students to first waive their FERPA status before you upload the recommendations. (For more on FERPA)
Uploading Your Recommendation
Step 1 - Select a student by clicking the student's name. A side bar for the student will open.
Step 2 - Completing the Common App Teacher Evaluation Form: Click on Teacher Evaluation and fill in the form that appears.
After filling out the form, you will select the "Update" button found at the bottom. If you realize you made a mistake, you'll be able to edit the form. Only counselors will be able to delete forms.
Step 3 - Upload Letter of Recommendation: Make sure you've saved your letter as a PDF and select "Upload a file".
Step 4 - You're done! Verify on the main student list screen that you have a green box for your recommendation and a box for the CA Teacher form.
Declining Recommendation Requests
Step 1 - Select a student by clicking the student's name. A side bar for the student will open.
Step 2 - Under the Letter of Recommendation section, select "Reject Recommendation" to decline the request.
Step 3 - Confirm your decision to decline the recommendation request.
Step 4 - Click Reject. Once the student is rejected, their name will no longer appear in your main student list.
Settings
Settings is where you can update your personal settings - your personal information, changing your password and if you want to receive email notifications regarding recommendation requests from students. You can choose to receive these notifications either once a day basis, weekly (every Monday) or turn off all email notifications for recommendations. This will be found at the top right corner, by clicking the chevron.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Why am I unable to upload PDF Letters of Recommendation (LORs) or Grade section files?
Why am I unable to upload PDF Letters of Recommendation (LORs) or Grade section files?
If you're experiencing issues uploading a PDF Letter of Recommendation (LOR) or a student Grade file, try the following:
Ensure the file is saved in a valid PDF format.
Try uploading the file using a different browser or device to rule out browser cache or environment-related issues.
If the upload continues to fail, generate a HAR file and check whether the upload request returns a 403 Forbidden response.
If a 403 Forbidden response is present, contact Chat with Cialfo and share the HAR file along with the affected PDF for further investigation.
Why aren't line breaks and paragraph spacing preserved in Letters of Recommendation (LORs)?
Why aren't line breaks and paragraph spacing preserved in Letters of Recommendation (LORs)?
If the formatting of your Letter of Recommendation (LOR) appears as a single block of text, try the following:
Ensure you are using the latest version of the Cialfo Chrome Extension.
If the LOR was submitted previously and the formatting appears collapsed, re-upload the recommendation using the updated Chrome Extension.
Verify that the original document contains the intended line breaks and paragraph spacing before submitting.
If the issue persists after re-uploading, contact Chat with Cialfo and share the affected LOR along with details of the browser and Chrome Extension version you are using.
Need Help?
Our Client Support team is available via Live Chat 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, so you can get help anytime during the work week through Chat with Cialfo.
If you're unable to find a solution in our help articles or need further assistance, you can contact the Cialfo Support team via Live Chat or email us at [email protected]