Hi there! I was just wondering if it would be at all appropriate to use 2 English teachers as my required recommendations… I have to pick two teachers from my 11th and 12th grade years, and honestly, they are the ones who know me best and I do/did very well in their classes! I feel as though my other teachers wouldn’t write recommendations that were a heartfelt. Would having 2 English teachers as my recommenders be inappropriate at all? I’m considering getting extra recommendations from a French teacher and art teacher, too, if that helps.
I heard somewhere that you want to have one from math/science and one from Humanities. I got mine from my science (AP Bio, Physics) teacher and my English teacher.
I think you should prioritize following the guidelines over having good letters, at least on this level. You just have to be creative in finding your math/science one.
Well, this is always a little tricky. It is best to have teacher recs from two different subjects, however, I firmly believe that the best rec is going to come from a teacher who knows you well, who likes you, and who you like in return. Alos, having put in effort in the class is important. So go for those teachers, but I don’t see any point in supplemental recs. Virtually all colleges ask for two, and colleges don’t really need to see supplemental material unless there is something new and different that won’t go elsewhere in the app. Others might disagree.
@Lindagaf Your statement that virtually all colleges require 2 recs is not correct. None of the schools my D applied to asked for 2, some didn’t want any. She wasn’t applying to super selective schools but two on her list were in the top 50. Both of these top 50 schools only wanted 1 rec.
@me29034 thanks for clarifying.
No school wants more than two teacher recommendations. If you submit a supplemental recommendation it should be from someone who knows you in a different context and can speak to a different aspect of your personal such as a boss, coach, etc.
Also I agree that a STEM and a Humanities teacher recommendation is ideal. I would try to avoid two teacher s in the same subject as it lacks breadth. Perhaps one English teacher and the French teacher?
I would say it depends on what schools you are applying to. For very top schools, I would look for varied subjects and core academics (not art, and probably not foreign language). For lower tier schools, I would say it does not matter as much.
I don’t think that it has to be a STEM and a Humanities – two STEM subjects or two Humanities subjects are fine, but they should be from two different disciplines (e.g., History and English; Science and Math). I don’t see a problem with a foreign language recommendation, but I’d stick to core classes and stay away from electives.
Most schools I’ve seen want two. Supplemental recs should be for something other than academics and only if they are requested.
Both recs in the same subject makes you look one-dimensional.
The purpose of the rec is for adcoms to learn about you as a person. They want insight to your character and your work ethic. If you can find teachers from two different departments who will write good recs, do that. But, if you are not going to get a good rec from anyone but your english teachers, then in my opinion, those are the teachers you need to ask. Or, if a rec can be from someone other than a teacher, and you have a boss or similar, get one teacher rec and one outside rec. If you are confident the French teacher will write a good rec, ask for one from that teacher and one from an english teacher.