Can someone explain FERPA on the Common App?

I've reached the FERPA waiver section on the Common App and I'm not sure what it means for my application. How important is it and what are the consequences of waiving or not waiving my rights?

Hey there! I totally get that the FERPA waiver can seem a bit confusing. It stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and it basically gives you certain rights regarding your education records. When you're applying to colleges, you'll be asked whether or not you want to waive these rights in the context of your letters of recommendation and other documents your high school sends to colleges.

Waiving your rights means that you won't have the right to view the recommendations and evaluations provided by your teachers and counselor after they're sent to a college. The idea here is that if colleges know you won't be seeing these documents, they can trust that the recommendations are candid and honest. On the other hand, not waiving your rights could potentially make colleges wonder if the letters are less truthful because the recommenders knew you would see them.

Most students choose to waive their FERPA rights to assure colleges of the integrity of their application documents. Remember, your recommenders are usually rooting for you and want to help you succeed. If you trust the teachers and counselor you've asked for recommendations, it shouldn't be a problem to waive these rights. Hope that clarifies things for you!