For CommonApp, is it even possible to have 4 LoRs from teachers only?
And if it is possible, is it advisable? I don’t really have a close relationship with my counselor, and besides that I don’t think the other “other recommenders” would help me much either.
You are limited by what each college tells you the limit is. Regardless, a teacher rec cannot be used in lieu of the counselor rec. If (and this is a big if) the college allows rees beyond the 2 teachers and the counselor it should be from someone who is not a teacher and can add insight beyond what you do in the classroom
I can’t provide much input, as I am also in this process right now; however, I do believe that most colleges require a counselor recommendation and 1-2 teacher recommendations. A character recommendation letter can usually help, but the other 2 teachers you are asking are not necessary. Usually, 2 teacher letter are enough for the college to get to know you, so I would choose your 2 favorite teachers (or the ones that will write the best letter). If the other teachers can attest to what makes you unique outside of class, then sure, add them in. Just understand that admission officers normally have to read every letter, and it may become repetitive for them, which is not great when they are the ones deciding if you should be admitted or not.
To sum it up, I would stick to 2-3 teacher recommendations that can hold a lot fo weight.
@skieurope @riverandsasha3 I see that some colleges on the commonapp, like harvard and princeton, say that 0 “other“ recommenders are required, however 2 are optional, what does this mean?
@BrownPie It means that you can have 2 extra recommendations, but generally, these come from people that are not your teacher (coaches, community leaders, etc.). However, from personal experience, I don’t know many people that send in any “other” recommendations.
@BrownPie Typically, there are 2 academic recommendations that come from teachers that have taught you in the last two years of highschool. Some schools have a preference to which subjects they can come from, but you should try to have a balance if possible. Then there’s the supplemental recommendation that is optional. It comes from someone who does not teach you and can provide the school with more information about your character that the other recommendors can’t. There’s also a counsellor report that (from my understanding) is not so much of a recommendation than it is a “report”. The counsellor reports on you involvement, character and academics during your highschool years. Finally, if you choose to formally submit an arts supplement, there is another arts-recommendation required for some schools that is strictly about your proficiency and involvement in the arts.
TL;DR So the answer is you can have 4 LORs, but they are only advised if they provide any additional information that the required ones don’t, or anything not shown on your application. Think of it this way: if an AO spends 15 minutes on your application, is reading an extra 2 LORs worth the time that isn’t spend on the rest of your application?
Hope this helps!
Many AOs I’ve interacted with have said something like “please don’t flood us with addition material, like more recommendation letters that just say the same thing”. I get the impression that it may subconsciously negatively impact you application (“can’t follow directions, makes my job harder”).
A letter from an external party related to a unique/outstanding activity can be useful, but the bar should be very high to include it.
It really depends on the school. I’ve seen schools that want the guidance counselor rec and one teacher rec and refuse anything more.
I didn’t have a good relationship with my counsellor either but I did end up with a letter of recomendation. If you’re doing well grades-wise you should be good. Even if you aren’t, as long as you have a good disciplianry record you should still be fine. Keep in mind it’s their job to help out with this kind of stuff. I’d say get a letter from the counsellor and 2 from the teachers
Definitely check the websites of the colleges you’re applying to because some of them will have strict requirements for what kind of LORs you need where you must have a counselor recommendation or some other type of form filled out by them.
Most students don’t “have a good relationship” with their GC/CC- and most don’t have a bad one. GCs & CCs -even pretty far up the private school food chain- wrangle a lot o students. Unless you have an actively adversarial relationship with your GC/CC not being bffs won’t make much of difference to their LoR.
You can help yourself by being thoughtful with your cheat sheet (the info you give everybody who is writing LoRs for you- for all of life, incl jobs and grad school). Many schools have a form for this, others let students take the lead. At a minimum it includes where you are applying and what you are planning to study. It should also have some very very succinct- points on why you are a good fit for these schools/subjects, with a (still succinct) very, very specific example or two. If there is something that explanatory needed, note that.