A 4 recs a little much??

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>I'm filling out the UChicago application and already have my 2 recommendations for english/social studies and math/sciences teachers planned out. I also am using my supplemental rec for my Spanish teacher, as I really want him to write recs for me this year.</p>

<p>As for other colleges/universities that I'll be applying to, I'll just be using the common app. But this year, however, the common app has a new section added on called a fine arts section in which they ask students who feel that they have contributed to the fine arts in their school to fill out the form AND have their fine arts teacher write a recommendation.</p>

<p>Seeing as how I'll be needing my art teacher to write me a recommendation for this fine arts section anyway, do you think it's worth sending in the fine arts rec in along with my other 3 recs to UChicago? That would be 4 recs, which may be seen as a little much...</p>

<p>What do you think?</p>

2

<p>The title should be *Are</p>

<p>Sorry about that, hah</p>

3

<p>I had four letters of recommendation. Two from history teachers, one from a math teacher, and one from a family friend. I don't think it was excessive--each recommendation revealed a different aspect of my personality, and they wrote in their application that their goal was to get to know me, so..</p>

4

<p>only if your teachers can say something strongly positive that will emphasize how you stand out; don't have a teacher do it that will say "oh, they're very nice and hardworking and punctual;" you want to present a vibrant, crisp, clear picture of yourself, not vast pages of damning faint praise from which you expect the admissions officers to glean scraps of your "essence."</p>

5

<p>Each teacher that will write me recommendations have known me for at least 3 years. I would honestly rather not include my math rec, as I do not have too strong a connection with many of my math teachers. Alas, it is required though...</p>

<p>As for my English, Spanish, and Art teachers, I know them all very very very well, and have good relationships with them. I'm confident in the fact that they would write me an honest and sincere recommendation.</p>

6

<p>Another question:</p>

<p>How should I go of asking my teachers for recommendations? Please understand that I attend a very laid back school, and regardless of its private college preparatory status, my teachers are very laid back, friendly, and understanding. I've read stories on CC of students asking their teachers for recs whilst giving them entire baked cakes and stressing majorly before hand. </p>

<p>Is it appropriate to just approach my teachers after class and kindly ask them for a recommendation?</p>

7

<p>Absolutely. First of all, almost every college applicant is asking this very same question to their teachers, and secondly, teachers are often honored to be asked to write recs. Just make sure you give them enough time to write the recommendations-- asking now or the first week of school would be a good thing. The worst thing you could do is go to a teacher and say, "I need a rec tomorrow OMG!"</p>

<p>Also, make sure that you give your recs to teachers in an organized fashion-- I would suggest getting each of them a folder, having your name on the top clearly labeled, and a cover sheet/list of all the schools you're applying to and when the recs are needed (you should do the work to visit the websites of each school and check dates, and if there aren't any listed, make them up!) Plus, paper-clip the envelopes and the recs together, and write out the mailing addresses, place the stamps on the envelopes, and, if you can, get envelopes with adhesive backs that you don't have to lick.</p>

<p>Yes, this list is particular, but it's to ensure that your teachers and advisers have the easiest time possible assembling your recs, and that they don't have to pay for postage out of their own pockets, double-check websites for admissions policies, etc. Their job is to write about how great you are, your job is to apply to college.</p>

<p>And as far as baked goods go, skip it. Unless you regularly treat your teachers with baked goods (one of my best friends treated teachers, secretaries, janitors, students, etc. with baked goods all the time-- not because she wanted to be liked, but because she used baking as a way to deal with insomnia and thus amassed loads of cookies and cakes that needed to be eaten).</p>

8

<p>Haha, don't worry, I was not planning on giving baked goods to my teachers. I was merely referencing what other CCers had done.</p>

<p>Yeah, I was planning to give them a nice stack of envelopes, each posted with stamps and addresses, with a post note on top listing the colleges I was applying to with deadlines. Sound good?</p>

9

<p>Oh, and for the address, I just address the envelopes to the given college's admissions office, correct?</p>

10

<p>I applied as a homeschooled student and submitted additional recommendations. It was not a problem for me, so my guess is that you should be fine, as well.</p>

11

<p>Alright, thanks.</p>

12

<p>Some teachers at larger high schools limit how many recommendations they'll write..I think that is where some of the baked goods come in..bribery.</p>

13

<p>Hash brownies? Those make for interesting recs.</p>

14

<p>We kind of gulped at DS's plans to have four recs, but each one will have a different angle to share about my son. There are excellent reasons for including each one. I don't think it's a good idea to have four generic references (or to have alums/big names) write recs -- the people selected should know you well, be enthusiastic, and have something interesting to say about you that noone else would know.</p>

15

<p>Alot of the schools I visited last year adamently recommended against additional recommendations. When reading thousands of files, two extra recs in every file could is doubling what they have to read. Give them what they ask for unless you have an excellent reason for an additional rec. They know their job and when enough is enough. Two excellent solid recs..remember quality vs quantity.</p>

16

<p>At a school as small and intimate as mine (my graduating class is about 13 kids, myself included) all the teachers know the students, especially the seniors, very well. I'm confident in the fact that all my teachers can write good recs about me and speak more of my personality and of having me as a student, not just harp on what I've done.</p>

<p>The only reason I give Chicago 4 recs is because the common app's new art supplement asks for an art interested student to ask their art teacher for a reccommendation. Why not give Chicago's Un-Common app the same recs as all my other colleges? I would ideally like to have just my spanish, english, and art teachers write me recs, but Chicago requires math aswell...</p>

17

<p>Look, a lot of people submit four recs. It won't hurt you. But I do think it's too many. I doubt that each of those teachers is going to say something very different about you. The point of sending an extra rec is if the third person knows you in a different context than the other teachers and will add something new and important to what the other teachers said. If each of your extra recs will say new things that are important to your application, then send them, but I suspect that isn't the case.</p>

18

<p>I have faith and confidence in them as they each know me in a different context.</p>

19

<p>I agree with Flyboy: No when enough is enough. I've talked with many admissions people about this question and they all have told me that they go by the adage "the thicker the file, the thicker the applicant." In other words, when they see three or four recommendations when they've asked for two, they start to wonder if the applicant has doubts about their application standing on its own. They also point out that they have limited time to read each application and the more they have to cram in during that short time, the less time they'll spend reading something else, like your essays, or your main recommendations, or your transcript. </p>

<p>Before you decide to send a supplemental recommendation, ask yourself these questions:</p>

<p>(1) Is the extra recommendation going to add something different and IMPORTANT that can't be found elsewhere in my application? </p>

<p>(2) Can I get the same information across in the required recommendations? </p>

<p>(3) Is there someone else who would do a better job of writing my required recommendations?</p>

<p>(4) Can I get the same information across in my essays, interviews, or other application materials?</p>

<p>Nine times out of ten, the answer is not sending MORE recommendations, but, rather, fine-tuning the rest of your application and asking your main recommendation writers to include the RIGHT things about you in the first place.</p>

<p>If you don't feel confident that the teachers and guidance counselor who will be writing your required rec's are going to make a convincing case for you, then maybe you just haven't found the right people to ask to write your required recommendations.</p>

<p>If you've answered all of the above questions honestly, and still feel it is necessary to add an additional recommendation, then you know that it will ADD something to your package, rather than detracting from it. There are some cases where sending a single, well-chosen supplement makes sense, but think things through carefully before deluging the admissions office with additional recommendations that don't clearly have a purpose that can't be filled in any other way.</p>

<p>Homeschool students are a different story. Because colleges have a hard time comparing them to kids that come from regular high schools, extra recommendations are usually welcomed for homeschool students because they help admissions people translate the homeschooler's education.</p>

<p>But, for regular students from regular high schools, supplements are usually NOT necessary if you have thought through the above questions. Again, no when enough is enough. </p>

<p>You want your application to be the one that has a clear message told as efficiently as possible, not the one that makes people's eyes glaze over.</p>

20

<p>Op- In a school as small as yours, 4 recs from 4 different teachers is overkill. Any of them should be able to write about you and your abilities as a student. They can always ask their collegues if there is any area about you they are not familiar with. And do not ignore Chicago's requirement for a recommendation from your math teacher.</p>