How to track a recommender’s agreement in Vithi
A teacher agreeing to write a recommendation is an important step, but it is not confirmation that the application system has received the letter. This guide is written by Vithi and explains what its Confirmed willing switch records, what to put in status notes and what still needs checking elsewhere.
Create a track for the person and subject
In the portfolio’s recommendation-letter area, choose Register a track. The current form asks for Teacher name and Subject, provides Status notes and includes a Confirmed willing switch. Save the track after checking the name and subject against the person you intend to ask.
Creating a track is a personal organising action. It does not send an invitation, contact a teacher or submit a letter. Follow the actual application instructions for any invitation or reference request, and keep the teacher’s contact details in the appropriate private system.
Turn on Confirmed willing only after an actual agreement
The switch is labelled “Teacher agreed to submit an LOR”. Use it when the teacher has clearly agreed, rather than when you hope they will or when you have merely sent the request. An unanswered email is still unanswered.
For a hypothetical request, you might initially write “asked on 22 October; awaiting reply” in Status notes and leave the switch off. After a clear reply, a note could read “agreed on 24 October; instructions still to share”. These are example dates, not official deadlines or a recommended response interval.
If the teacher agrees only to a specific course, route or number of requests, preserve that scope in your own notes. Willingness to support one request should not become an assumption that the person has accepted every application on your list.
Make status notes describe the next unresolved step
A short note should explain the current dependency. “Agreed; checking which submission instructions apply” is more actionable than “in progress”. Record facts you can verify rather than an estimated completion date presented as a promise from the teacher.
Use this note format: last confirmed communication; scope of agreement; material still needed; next action owned by me. A hypothetical example is “agreed to one course reference; send the official instructions and a short project summary”.
Keep the record concise. Do not paste a confidential recommendation or a private teacher conversation into a tracking note. A brief description of the agreement usually carries the context needed for your next action.
Check the saved track before relying on it
After choosing Save LOR track, check that the teacher, subject, notes and willingness state appear as intended. Revisit the portfolio to confirm the record remains there. If a save fails, keep your note text before leaving the form.
The current interface also lets you change a saved track’s willingness state. Check the visible result and any error message after using the control. Do not treat a failed update as evidence that the teacher has changed their answer.
If you registered the same teacher twice, reconcile the records against the real requests before removing anything. Two similar names might describe different subjects or application contexts. Preserve the useful details before correcting a duplicate.
Verify submission in the actual application system
Keep the next distinction explicit: agreed, invitation handled and letter received are separate events. Vithi’s Confirmed willing switch describes agreement, not all three. Use the actual application service or the institution’s instructions to establish what counts as receipt for your route.
If the teacher says they submitted but the portal does not show receipt, record that discrepancy and check the appropriate instructions or contact. Do not repeatedly send invitations or assume the letter is missing without first checking the relevant system.
This guide does not promise a Vithi connection to recommendation portals or automatic receipt detection. Keep confirmation evidence in your own application files and avoid changing the meaning of the willingness switch to stand for acceptance or admission.
Follow up with the unresolved question
A useful follow-up identifies the specific uncertainty: whether the request arrived, whether the teacher needs material or whether the application service shows receipt. Avoid a generic reminder when you have not checked which step remains open.
For example: “Thank you again for agreeing to support my application. The portal currently shows the reference as pending. Is there any information you still need from me?” Adapt the wording to the actual situation and published instructions. Do not imply a deadline or agreement that has not been confirmed.
After the process is complete, thank the recommender and keep a factual record of the outcome. The tracker’s value is helping you act on an accurate state, not making every switch appear complete.
