2 optional recs?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>does MIT allow 2 optional recs?</p>

2

<p>yes, but don't push that privilege! >.< however, all the people what I know had exactly 2 optional recs. You really need to make sure they are very different though.</p>

3

<p>my friend has that dilemma.
there are 2 people who are very willing to write him an optional rec.
he feels bad not to ask from them...
so it shouldn't hurt to ahve 2 teacher's rec + 2 optional?</p>

4

<p>It will "not help" if they are essentially saying the same wonderful things about him that his other recs are saying. If the two people he is considering know him from new and different contexts, and if their recommendation(s) can talk about an entirely new side to him, something not covered or not dealt with by the teachers who are writing for him, they could be useful. If he's just letting them write for him because "he feels bad not to ask" because they are "very willing", yet they are in the same fields or know the same sides of him as the teachers, those will not be helpful additional recs.</p>

<p>It's not a contest to see who can get the most recs (and I know you did not say it was, I'm just underlining this point). The recs are to provide evaluation of how an applicant performs relative to others with similar opportunities and abilities. A supplemental rec (or <em>maybe</em> two) which provides new insights is helpful; one saying the same things over again is not.</p>

5

<p>are supplemental recs treated the same as any other rec? Does the provider simply write a letter and mail it to the MIT admissions office?</p>

6

<p>Are 2 different research supervisors (college professors) in 2 completely different fields of science (theoretical vs experimental) be 'different' enough?</p>

7

<p>I wouldn't have 2 research supervisors, since they are both afterall about the research side of you.</p>

8

<p>it's more like 3 teachers rec + rsearch supervisor.
the math teacher only konws him in classroom. but is a great writer
the science teacher knwos him well outside of classroom as well as teach him in classes
the english teacher
reserach supervisor.</p>